Wherever you are on your journey, Forge is there We empower by pairing you with a mentor to listen and support; provide educational resources such as health and wellness classes, free professional mental health counseling, and financial support through gas cards for transportation to medical appointments, grocery cards, and help with essential bills while you are in active treatment, so you can focus on healing - not keeping your lights on.
No Matter where you live in Alabama or Mississippi, Forge Provides:
Survivor Tiarra Hooks
$157,961 $31,350 Nutrition assistance
3,801 Rides to medical appointments Counseling sessions 390 Rent, mortgage & utilities paid
11,241
Financial Assistance Provided $282,861 Served in Alabama & Mississippi
OUR GROWTH
In October, 2025, Forge expanded our services into the state or Mississippi With the highest breast cancer mortality rate in the country and with 52% of the state being rural, the needs of breast cancer patients in Mississippi are similar to those in Alabama. Thanks to funding from the National Breast Cancer Foundation and Daiichi Sankyo, Forge now provides many of the same services in Mississippi as we do in Alabama, like help with transportation to medical appointments, financial assistance with essential bills, and mental health counseling for the patient and family.
Our Mississippi Client Services Coordinator, Kristi Jeter, is a registered nurse who earned her Bachelor of Nursing degree from Auburn University She has worked in healthcare for more than 34 years, with a primary focus on women ’ s health Kristi works with our clients to provide individualized support, identify needs, and connects clients with tailored resources to meet their specific needs.
Jennifer Caraway, our Mississippi Hardship Coordinator, earned her Bachelor of Science at Florida State University and her Juris Doctorate from Thomas M Cooley Law School She has worked in both the legal and nonprofit sectors, most notably at the YWCA of Central Alabama for 15 years. As the Mississippi Hardship Coordinator, Jennifer works with breast cancer patients in active treatment to assist with financial assistance with essential bills so our clients can afford to focus on healing rather than rent.
Mississippi Survivor Angie Maxwell
OUR TEAM
Survivor Jordan Collins with Sara Cox
OUR PURPOSE
OUR APPROACH OUR MISSION
Breast cancer, the most common cancer in women, has one of the highest survival rates – but not if you live in Alabama or Mississippi. Forge is working to reduce breast cancer mortality in the Deep Southbybreakingdownbarrierstocare.
We find there are 3 major obstacles to treatment compliance and better health outcomes for breast cancer patients:
1). Transportation. By providing gas cards and Lyft rides (where available and costefficient), we ensure patients can get to their chemotherapy and radiation appointments.
2). Finances. Breast cancer is expensive It can lead to extended time off of work, job loss, debt, eviction, and more We provide gift cards for groceries and help with essential bills during active treatment
3). Mental Health. Being able to get up and fight another day can be hard Forge helps in two primary ways: free mental health counseling for patients and their families and peer matching, connecting patients with trained breast cancer survivor volunteers who provide personalized support from someone who has actually “been there ”
By innovating at the intersection of health care and community support, Forge is improving survival rates, ensuring breast cancer patients in the Deep South have the resources and support they need to survive and thrive beyond their diagnosis Forge supports, empowers and improves medical access, health outcomes, and quality of life for Alabama and Mississippi breast cancer patients, survivors and those who love them from the day of diagnosis through the rest of life
