Brightway Insurance employees donate to Jacksonville-based non-profit to provide mammography services to area women

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — “Catching breast cancer early saves lives.”

That was the message from First Coast News Anchor and health advocate, Jeannie Blaylock, this morning as she shared self-examination kits with Brightway Insurance employees and accepted a check from them to support Buddy Check 12, a local non-profit program that promotes monthly breast self-examinations and other means of early detection.

“Giving back is a part of the culture at Brightway, and I’m so proud of our employees for orchestrating a fundraiser for Buddy Check 12 that will go toward the purchase of a local mammography unit,” said Brightway Co-Founder and Chairman, Michael Miller. “We truly appreciate the partnership with Jeannie Blaylock, who has been a champion for the cause for decades.”

Brightway’s Fun Committee sold pink items for breast cancer awareness, such as bracelets, keychains and sunglasses as well as Jeans Days in October to raise funds for Buddy Check 12. Through the fundraiser, employees contributed $1,632 during the month-long campaign.

“We’re thrilled to see Brightway employees work with such enthusiasm to help us save more lives through the early detection of breast cancer,” said Blaylock, who collaborated with Baptist Health to start Buddy Check 25 years ago. “We’ve come a long way since we started Buddy Check in 1992 when talking about checking your breasts was pretty much taboo. Now we’ve seen women take control of their own health and remind each other to check and get mammograms. Still, though, some 46 percent of women are not getting regular mammograms. That’s why we’re grateful Brightway is helping us raise funds to purchase a Buddy Bus, a mobile mammography unit. This joint project between First Coast News and Baptist/MD Anderson will help break down the fear of mammograms and inspire women in six counties to be screened.”

One in eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. And, although breast cancer in men is rare, an estimated 2,600 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and approximately 440 will die each year. Learn more about breast cancer, prevention, treatment and more at Cancer.org.

About Brightway Insurance Brightway Insurance is a national property/casualty insurance retailer selling through a network of franchised independent agencies throughout the country. With more than $488 million in annualized written premium, the company is one of the largest property and casualty agencies in the United States.

The Jacksonville-based company began franchising operations in 2008 and has since grown to more than 700 people in 17 states serving customers in all 50 states. Forbes has recognized the company as America’s No. 1 Franchise to Buy. Florida Trend and the Jacksonville Business Journalalso recognized Brightway for being one of largest privately held companies in Florida and for overall sales revenue growth from 2014-2016, respectively. People wishing to learn more about franchise ownership with Brightway may visit our franchise page and find us on LinkedIn. Consumers seeking a better insurance buying experience may visit Brightway.com and find us on Facebook.

About Buddy Check 12 Twenty-five years ago, Jeannie Blaylock partnered with Baptist Health to create Buddy Check 12 -designed to promote monthly breast self-examinations and to educate women on the importance of early detection. Watch Jeannie's Buddy Check 12 reports every 12th of the month on First Coast News and remind a buddy to self-check for breast cancer. Call 904-202-CARE (2273) to request a self-examination kit from Buddy Check 12 and learn more at FirstCoastNews.com/local/buddy-check-12.