Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is upon us once more, meaning it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

There’s plenty of way and events in which your gym can get involved. One of those is Barbells for Boobs.

“Our goal is to redefine the standard of breast healthcare and improve the quality of life post diagnosis. We’ve taken an intentional approach to bringing fitness to survivorship,” said Zionna Hanson, the founder of Barbells for Boobs.

She shares more about the organization below and how CrossFit Affiliates can get involved this year in raising awareness about breast cancer.

Box Pro: How have you seen breast cancer awareness change in the CrossFit industry over the years?

Zionna Hanson: There’s been a growth in awareness about fitness after a breast cancer diagnosis. Barbells for Boobs has been instrumental in connecting survivors in the community with each other.  Also, our loyal gyms that support us each are finding survivors in their own communities.  I believe we as a community are pioneering what fitness can look like after a cancer diagnosis.  

BP: How do you think gym owners can get their members thinking about breast cancer awareness this year?

ZH: The Open is a fantastic time to gather the community each week and have intimate and consistent conversations. I’m grateful for the Open to be celebrated during October, because it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I encourage gym owners to have a conversation with their community about breast cancer each week.  

BP: How can Affiliates get their members involved?

ZH: By locking arms as a community and turning a Saturday morning WOD or their Friday Night Lights pink and fundraising for our programs.  They can start a team fundraising page at no cost by going to fundraise.barbellsforboobs.org/teams.

Teams and individual fundraisers can earn cool rewards from our fantastic partners for fundraising benchmarks. We release something each week during fundraising season. 

BP: What is Barbells for Boobs’ goal this year?

ZH: We currently are providing fitness assessments and need-based scholarships for breast cancer survivors on an annual basis. Our goal is to get 200 women in the assessment and scholarship program by 2020.  

BP: How can Affiliates get involved in that goal?

ZH: I encourage gym owners to first get involved with our network by getting certified in our online education course.  We place our survivors in network-approved gyms only. To find out how to get certified, please go here: library.barbellsforboobs.org/.

BP: What tips can you give to host a successful event for Breast Cancer Awareness?

ZH: It’s fun and easy. We see all kinds of cool stuff. My first recommendation is to follow us on Instagram @barbellsforboobs. We are constantly sharing stories and ideas from the community. We also have an online fundraising tool kit available to all 

Lastly, the Boob Toob, which is a gift to any yeam captain of a fundraising team. It’s full of tools and resources.  

BP: Anything else to add?

ZH: We are celebrating 10 years of work in breast cancer this year. We hope to see the community celebrate with us.