On Saturday, Sept. 19, the Saint Thomas Rutherford Foundation’s 9th annual Wine Around the Square will go virtual for the first time. The celebration will be live-streamed between 5:30–7 p.m. from downtown Murfreesboro and will include a keynote speaker, live music, interactive demonstrations, and appearances from many beloved community members.

Proceeds of this year’s event will provide the salary for one breast health nurse navigator at Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford and will partially fund a new mobile mammography coach outfitted to bring mammograms and other breast health resources to women in Rutherford, Davidson and 24 nearby counties. Approximately 40 percent of the women Saint Thomas serves each year are uninsured or underinsured, and the mobile mammography coaches provide free resources for a diverse group of Tennessee women.

These coaches increase early detection rates by providing screenings on the campuses of many large area employers.

Individuals who make a donation of $25 or more to the 2020 Wine Around the Square project will receive a custom wine glass exclusively created for donors and packed to the brim with discounts to local businesses.

Last year, Wine Around the Square raised $230,000 in support of breast health resources for Middle Tennessee women. Through its dedicated Power of Pink fund, the Saint Thomas Rutherford Foundation has raised more than $1.9 million to fight breast cancer over the past decade.

The Mission in Motion is an ongoing effort set forth by Ascension Saint Thomas to increase access to breast health services especially for the poor and vulnerable. This initiative is made possible through a mobile mammography coach that travels throughout Middle Tennessee and serves all women regardless of insurance status. The lack of mammography services in many of these areas, along with the uninsured or underinsured populations, account for higher death rates from breast cancer and late-stage detection.

“What I love about the Power of Pink is how they support women through the entire process. It is terrifying for any woman to hear that their mammogram results came back abnormal and they need diagnostic followup. It’s especially terrifying when they don’t know how they are going to pay for it,” says Lori Ward, mobile health practice manager with Saint Thomas Medical Partners.

Need has also been identified for women who are insured but who cannot afford the time away from work for appropriate screenings. The mobile coach works with corporations to provide onsite screening for these women, potentially reducing the time for a woman to have a screening from three hours (including drive-time) to approximately 15 minutes.

With increasing demand for the services, the Saint Thomas Rutherford Foundation has a goal, in collaboration with the Saint Thomas Health Foundation, of purchasing a second coach with state-of-the-art 3-D mammography, and updating the existing coach’s equipment.

Also part of the 2020 fundraising efforts, the first-ever Wine Around the Square Virtual 5K will also benefit the Power of Pink Fund. Participants agree to run or walk a 5K on their own time between Sept. 14 and 19 and all who register will receive a shirt and medal.

All proceeds from the 2020 Wine Around the Square virtual events will support the Saint Thomas Rutherford Foundation’s Power of Pink Fund and this “Build the Bus” campaign. For more information on how to donate and to see a video with an inside look of the mobile mammography coach, visit winearoundthesquare.net.