This is the 11th year that GATE Petroleum Co. stores, The GATE Foundation and its employees across the Southeast are partnering with the American Cancer Society (ACS) to help increase breast cancer screening rates through their 2021 Pink Ribbon Campaign.

GATE Stores in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina will feature:

• Pink paper ribbons for customers to sign and display around the store
• Pink t-shirts for all employees to wear Mondays and Fridays
• Signage and mission information throughout the store

“It is an honor for GATE to once again partner with the American Cancer Society for our Pink Ribbon Campaign this October,” said Kathy Brady, executive director of The GATE Foundation. “This marks our 11th year working together, and this year’s campaign is anticipated to bring GATE’s total donations to ACS to more than $1 million.”

The Society’s Get Screened campaign encourages patients to resume appropriate cancer screening and follow-up care. More than one in three people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. This important campaign seeks to help individuals catch cancer early when it’s easiest to treat.

ACS Recommendations for the Early Detection of Breast Cancer:

• Women ages 40 to 44 should have the choice to start annual breast cancer screening with mammograms (x-rays of the breast) if they wish to do so.
• Women ages 45 to 54 should get mammograms every year.
• Women 55 and older should switch to mammograms every two years or can continue yearly screening.
• Screening should continue as long as a woman is in good health and is expected to live 10 more years or longer.

“We’re at a unique moment in history in the fight against cancer. What we do right now to combat the staggering declines in breast cancer screening rates will reverberate for decades to come,” said Brant Woodward, ACS southeast region executive vice president. “To successfully meet, and even exceed, pre-pandemic screening rates will take a coordinated, multi-sector approach. We are so grateful to partners, like the GATE Foundation, for collaborating on an initiative that’s big enough and bold enough to return people to screening.”

The GATE Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Jacksonville, Fla.-based GATE Petroleum Co., supports efforts and services that nurture and protect the well-being of families and the communities where it operates.