About the Breast Cancer Task Force of the Greater Miami Valley

Past accomplishments include:

• American Cancer Society, Montgomery County Volunteer Recognition 2007 - Breast Cancer Task Force of Greater Miami Valley, Community Outreach Award.
• “Life After Breast Cancer” – a conversation with L.A. Law stars Jill Eikenberry & husband Michael Tucker, attended by nearly 500 people.
• Mother’s Day projects – handing out breast health cards with pink ribbon pins to libraries, beauty shops, and barber shops.
• Writing a breast health educational program entitled “Woman to Woman” for members to use when representing the BCTF at educational programs.
• Designing a BCTF display board to take to special events.
• Writing & producing a much-needed booklet “Coping With Male Breast Cancer” – with Kettering Medical Center underwriting the cost of printing.
• Collaborating with the Breast Cancer Foundation to produce the “Breast Health Resource Guide for Greater Dayton”
• Healthy Mom's Award honoring healthy women not only committed to their own health and well being, but their loved ones health as well. 
• Yearly celebration of Breast Cancer Survivors at Paint the Square Pink (later to become Catching Pink Fever)
• Providing Breast Cancer Awareness through the High School Video Contest

Task Force History

In 1993, the BCTF was formed by Jill Vaniman, Cancer Education Director for the American Cancer Society (ACS), Montgomery County Unit.

There appeared to be breast cancer education and/or support groups scattered throughout the county, but each one had their own agenda.  It was difficult to determine where to send a new breast cancer patient calling into the American Cancer Society, or where to refer someone who wanted an educational program for their organization.  After some research into the various organizations, it was determined that the individual groups did not really work together on programs, so the idea of inviting a representative from each group to help form the Breast Cancer Task Force, was born.

The organization had over 30 members representing area agencies, hospitals, medical facilities and individuals from the community. The meetings were very successful, with the American Cancer Society furnishing most of the financial assistance for the Task Force.

Over the years, the Task Force members changed – but always included representation from the hospitals as well as other breast cancer organizations. Eventually, the Task Force became an independent group – no longer under the American Cancer Society umbrella. Additionally, the name changed to the Breast Cancer Task Force of the Greater Miami Valley, in order to collaborate with even more organizations.

As organizations changed, so did the Task Force. Today their accomplishments work through the Breast Cancer Foundation when they merged in 2016.