Women Who Care host virtual face mask contest

Wren Stratton says she likely will not wear her breast-shaped face mask to the grocery store, even if the mask carries a message. 

"If you're going to do breast cancer awareness, why not do breasts," she said.

Stratton designed the unusual face mask, plus a more useable one with a fish motif, to spark creativity for the Women Who Care Virtual Face Mask Contest. Women Who Care is a Muskogee organization that promotes breast cancer awareness and offers services such as vouchers for mammograms for area women.

People are encouraged to design and create a face mask, then send a photo of the mask to the Women Who Care Facebook Page. The contest runs through Oct. 23.

Women Who Care Board President Aanje Gaines Wilkerson said the contest is a fun way to raise awareness about breast cancer. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.

"Whoever gets the most likes and shares, we have prizes for them," she said. "For first place, it's $50, second place is $35, third place is $20."

People can enter any type of face mask, as long as it covers the mouth and nose, she said.

"We just don't want it to cover their eyes," she said.  

Wilkerson said the contest replaces an annual dinner and jazz.

"We usually have A Night of Jazz," Wilkerson said. "With COVID and everything, we wanted to have something where people feel safe, so this is our next alternative."

Wilkerson said donations to the organizations have fallen a little bit, but not the demand.

"The flow is steady. We get two or three requests for mammograms a week," she said. 

Stratton said the organization offers mammogram vouchers for women in need.

"We do screening mammograms, diagnostic mammograms and ultrasound for the breast," she said. "Between those three, we probably do between 150 to 200 a year."

Women Who Care is seeing a large number of Hispanic women, Stratton said. She said the organization works with Bridges Out of Poverty, which offers Spanish-speaking classes. 

"Some of them have been very kind to interpret for me, so we've really tried to reach out to that community," she said. "Folks who wouldn't know they had access to that care, we want to make sure they do."

Stratton said the organization does most of its fundraising during October. This year's goal is to raise $5,000 to $10,000.

"From a variety of sources, we do that," she said. "There are softball teams that donate to us. People have been very generous and kind in the Muskogee area when they have events." 

If you enter

WHAT: Women Who Care Virtual Face Mask Contest.

WHEN: Through Oct 23.

HOW: Enter a photo of your original face mask. Mask can be on a mannequin or a person. Mask must cover the nose and mouth, but not the eyes. 

WHERE: Submit your photo to the Women Who Care Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/WWCMuskogee

You can help

• You can can donate to Women Who Care through the mobile payment service called Cash App, the organization's PayPal account, https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/womenwhocareok or by sending a check to Women Who Care, P.O. Box 2051, Muskogee, OK, 74402.