Delta Cotton Belles was established in 2007 after our founder, Beth McKnight, was diagnosed with stage IV Breast Cancer. Instead of letting the disease control her, she decided to fight it with all she had. In 2008, she and a group of close friends volunteered their time and began raising money to increase breast cancer awareness with the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Research conducted by the Susan G. Komen foundation in 2007 concluded the Mississippi Delta has the highest incidences of stage III & IV breast cancer in Mississippi. The initial fundraising tennis tournament collected over $16,000. Once it was determined that the Komen Foundation could not guarantee the funds would remain in the Mississippi Delta, Beth established Delta Cotton Belles as its own 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
As Delta Cotton Belles enters its 15th anniversary of caring and supporting women through the Mississippi Delta, our goals and services have grown and expanded with each passing year. Our all-volunteer Board of Directors has adhered to a philosophy of flexibility and innovation to allow for new services and programs, always in response to the unmet needs of women and breast cancer patients within our target community.
Currently, the Delta Cotton Belles is focused on the following key goals:
- To promote breast health awareness through education.
- To provide clinical breast screenings and mammograms for the working uninsured and under-insured in our region.
- To provide services not covered by insurance for individuals with breast cancer.
- To provide support programs for individuals with breast cancer.
Delta Cotton Belles provides services to individuals who are working and are uninsured or under-insured in eleven (11) counties throughout the Mississippi and Arkansas Delta including Washington, Bolivar, Humphreys, Grenada, Carroll, Issaquena, Sharkey, Sunflower, Leflore and Coahoma counties in Mississippi and Chicot County in Arkansas.