Annual Telfair Mammography Fund event raised $282,031

The SmartWomen Luncheon & Expo raised yet another record amount – $282,031 – through proceeds and donations for St. Joseph's/Candler’s Mary Telfair Mammography Fund. The fund offers life-saving mammograms and other breast health services for uninsured and underinsured women in the Savannah region.

Over the past 23 years, the SmartWomen event has raised $2,577,818.

Members of the 2025 SmartWomen Committee (left to right) Terri Doyle, Vernice Rackett, Allyson Harvin, Salita Hill, Gini Nichols, Andrea Dove (committee chair), Lora Reese, Kathy Lovitt

“This unprecedented accomplishment could only be achieved through the sponsors, community members and the steadfast network of women who lead this effort every year,” said St. Joseph’s/Candler President & CEO Paul P. Hinchey. “SmartWomen has once again created so much opportunity to help women who need life-saving breast health services. Concerns about affordability should not prevent our community’s under- and uninsured women from getting the critical breast cancer screenings they need, which is why the system created the SmartWomen Luncheon & Expo. I thank each and every person who contributed to and supported this year’s event.”

SmartWomen Committee Chair Andrea Dove expressed her gratitude for all involved in the SmartWomen event’s success, including the many sponsors.

“I am so thrilled at this year’s record-setting success. It is especially gratifying because the volunteers and committee really rallied their passion and teamwork behind the event, the Fund the Mission campaign and SmartWomen raffle, which helped contribute to this year’s total.”

The 2025 SmartWomen Luncheon & Expo occurred Friday, Oct. 10 at the Savannah Convention Center. Nearly 1500 people attended. The expo had 75 vendors and attracted 110 sponsors, including Presenting Sponsor Chatham Parkway Lexus and Hilton Head Lexus, Speaker Sponsor Savannah Chatham Imaging and Platinum Sponsors the Colonial Group, Inc., Genetech, International Paper, and Mr. & Mrs. James Corde Wilson III.

Stacy London served as this year’s keynote speaker. The TV show host, fashion magazine editor, best-selling author, product spokesperson and nonprofit leader shared details about her life in the fashion industry and her own health challenges underscored by a message of compassion for others and ourselves.

St. Joseph’s/Candler Foundations Executive Director Vernice Rackett said that the event and London’s talk, “Demonstrate that health advocacy is a form of compassion. St. Joseph's/Candler’s Telfair Mammography Fund exhibits that compassion by empowering women to get screened and educated on breast health.”

In our region, approximately 20 percent of the population are uninsured or underinsured. The Telfair Mammography Fund’s goal is to ensure that women have access to mammography and other breast health services, even if they have no insurance or high deductibles or copays.

Past years’ luncheons have featured notable women such as Laila Ali, Marie Osmond, Soledad O’Brien, Vicki Lawrence, Taya Kyle, Jane Seymour, Anne Burrell, Fran Drescher, Amy Grant, Dr. Jennifer Ashton, Marilu Henner, Joan Lunden, Giuliana Rancic, Leigh Anne Tuohy, Olympia Dukakis, Ellen Burstyn, Peggy Fleming, Ivana Trump, Erin Brockovich, Suze Orman and author Mary Kay Andrews.

About St. Joseph’s/Candler:

St. Joseph’s/Candler is a 714-bed, national Magnet-designated health system for Nursing Excellence, with a focus on the latest technologies and research. It is anchored by St. Joseph’s Hospital and Candler Hospital plus new campuses in Pooler and Bluffton, S.C. Its comprehensive network includes centers of excellence for oncology, neurosciences, women’s and children’s services, orthopedics, pulmonary medicine and a variety of other disease specialties. Cardiovascular services are provided in The Heart Hospital at St. Joseph’s Hospital. The cardiovascular specialists at The Heart Hospital, including our expert cardiothoracic surgeons, offer advanced clinical care for complex and comprehensive cardiovascular diseases and conditions. For more information, visit www.sjchs.org.