Who We Are
WOFAH has touched over 38,000 women since its inception
Women of Faith and Hope operates to encourage, enlighten and empower women about issues related to breast cancer in efforts to reduce the mortality rate through early detection; to offer spiritual and emotional support to women and their significant others.
For Women of Faith and Hope to be seen as a life – enhancing resource for an overlooked and underserved segment of the population
Become A Volunteer
WOFAH was established to educate and support women faced with breast cancer, especially African-American women. Novella K. Lyons, whose first experience with the disease was through her mother’s death from breast cancer in 1975, was diagnosed with the same cancer in 1993. Inspired through these life-changing events, Lyons formed WOFAH in 1996 to fill a gap in the Philadelphia community; no other organization existed to offer support for African American breast cancer patients.
Core Values
Confidentiality…..Confidentiality guides us in handling information about our clients that we receive in written, electronic or oral form.
Excellence….Everything we do must be done in excellence. Excellence empowers us to do our best in all that we do as we work individually and collectively to meet the needs of those we serve as well as our co-workers.
Service…..Service commits us to give of ourselves in order to respond appropriately to the needs of others.
Compassion….Compassion fosters in us a sensitivity to the spiritual physical, mental and emotional needs of each individual with the desire to offer care and support.
Community Outreach…. We value the opportunity to be of service to our community and relevant activities that connect us.
History
Target Population
Although our programs are open to all, WOFAH targets the low-income African-American female population, which suffers from a high mortality rate from breast cancer. Ninety (90) percent of WOFAH participants are African-American women. Participation is open to persons of all faiths and beliefs; tolerance of each individual’s expression of faith is essential and encouraged. Our initiative increases access to diagnostic, treatment and support services for Philadelphia women, and we actively look to target under-insured and uninsured women in the region. Most of the women who attend our meetings are between 35 and 75 years old. Women are also referred to our programs by a variety of sources including healthcare providers, the American Cancer Society (ACS) Reach to Recovery Program, Mercy Hospital, Temple Fox Chase Cancer Center (FCCC), flyers, brochures, health fair appearances, word-of-mouth and media advertising.