Celebrating 20 Years of Here for the Girls

W&M Life

Two William & Mary alumnae who connected through a shared diagnosis have helped more than 2,000 women build community.

Mary Beth Morrill Gibson '86 and René Roark Bowditch J.D. '82 formed Here for the Girls after meeting in 2006 at a retreat for women with breast cancer. (Photo credit: Allison Niccole Creatives)

For René Roark Bowditch J.D. '82 and Mary Beth Morrill Gibson '86, the inspiration for Here for the Girls, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting young women with breast cancer, began with a simple realization: They were not alone.

The two women, who unknowingly shared an alma mater, met at a retreat in 2006 for women with breast cancer. Both were navigating a diagnosis more commonly associated with older women. In one another, they found something they had been missing: someone who understood.

That connection became the foundation for Here for the Girls, an organization that has spent the past two decades not only educating young women about breast cancer and providing free support services, but also teaching them "how to live life with an exclamation mark and not a period." On Aug. 29, Here for the Girls will celebrate its 20th anniversary with an annual Pink Carpet Gala at the W&M Alumni House.

Bowditch and Gibson return to the words of C.S. Lewis in each annual Here for the Girls calendar and health guide to describe their first meeting: "Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one.'"

Connection Takes Root

The organization took shape at Bowditch's kitchen table in Williamsburg, where a few other young women began gathering on Sundays for "Tea and Talk." In a short-lived rebellion against the color pink often used in connection with breast cancer awareness, the group posted lime-green flyers in oncology offices, inviting other young women with breast cancer to connect.

Bowditch describes the meetings as organic and deeply honest. Women farther along in treatment showed their mastectomy scars, while those newly diagnosed asked questions, listened and found reassurance.

The group grew beyond supporting women through diagnoses and treatment to supporting them through all aspects of life, from forming lifelong friendships to helping each other's families in times of grief.

"The impact that we saw was not just in helping these young women get through breast cancer, but helping them get through life," Bowditch says.

When the COVID-19 pandemic limited in-person gatherings, Here for the Girls' founders discovered they could reach far more people beyond the local community through Zoom. "Tea and Talk" moved online, making the gatherings accessible to women regardless of where they lived.

The virtual format brought together women from different educational, economic and ethnic backgrounds - truly from "all walks of life," as Bowditch puts it - giving them a space to connect and share their experiences regardless of where they lived. Today, women from 47 states participate in the organization's programs, and more than 2,000 women have become part of the community over the past 20 years.

A Call to Action

As more people joined, they shared strikingly similar stories. Gibson says she often heard comments along the lines of: "I was diagnosed late because my doctor told me not to worry about it. I'm too young to have breast cancer."

These late diagnoses - caused in part by a lack of awareness and self-advocacy - impair treatment, which can have deadly consequences. As concerns about late diagnoses increased, the group became not only a community, but a call to action.

"Make a group of women mad, and you end up with a cause," Gibson says.

Their desire to educate and support young women led to the creation of the annual Here for the Girls calendar and health guide, a free resource mailed to members that provides accessible, easy-to-understand information about women's health and ways to better care for themselves. The calendar features "Ambassador Stories" each month, in which women share their experiences to help new and longtime members feel less alone.

Victoria Riley M.B.A. '26, deputy director of Here for the Girls, became involved in 2016 after being asked to look at its operations. She recalls one woman who had worn out the pages of her calendar because she read the stories every night and found hope in them.

"These stories gave her something to live for," Riley says.

Through Here for the Girls, a community has formed that encourages women to live for one another through each day's challenges.

"I get up every morning, and I think, 'I've got to live my life for the women who aren't here anymore,'" Gibson says.

Here for the Girls also provides workshops for their members such as the "Renew Restore" workshop, where Riley recalls one new member saying, "I felt like I was lifted up by angels, and I have never felt that level of support before in my entire life."

It Takes a Village

As Here for the Girls has grown, it has expanded its programming, primarily across eastern and Central Virginia, to include physicians, dentists, plastic surgeons, nutritionists and other professionals who provide information and resources to help members care for their health throughout cancer treatment and recovery. The programs and services are fully funded by donations.

A "Screening + Prevention Village" during Here for the Girls' annual Run for the Hills 5K event offers mobile mammogram units, screenings by doctors and physical therapy practices to promote overall health.

Because healthcare extends beyond physical treatment, Here for the Girls started a support coordination program that connects newly diagnosed women with a social worker who provides a bridge for them until they find a more permanent therapist. Gibson describes the program as a "godsend for a lot of young women."

She recalls that during her 12 years as executive director, she was often a first point of contact for newly diagnosed women, and she witnessed a lot of young families wrestle with uncertainty.

"The impact on mental health can be devastating," Gibson says. "You need to be in the right frame of mind to be able to fight for your life."

As part of her MBA program at William & Mary's Raymond A. Mason School of Business, Riley conducted an independent study to develop a plan for expanding the counseling services.

Unlike general therapy, this program is specifically tailored to oncology and focuses not only on the patient, but supporting whole family units.

Riley and the founders hope to expand this program in the coming years and to continue growing the number of women who they reach.

No longer relying on lime-green flyers and word of mouth, the organization now receives referrals through partnerships with healthcare centers, connecting newly diagnosed women with support much earlier in their journeys.

The organization has also found creative ways to spread its message, including appearances by "The Good Health Fairy," played by Bowditch and other volunteers dressed in fuzzy boas, tiaras and wings, who provide a safe space for uncomfortable conversations. Another was a black and pink tractor-trailer named "Ma'am O'Gram," provided by a partnering trucking company that traveled around the country with the Here for the Girls logo.

"It takes a village to raise a nonprofit, and this village showed up," Gibson says.

A Lasting William & Mary Bond

The organization maintains deep ties with William & Mary. Specific collaborations include annual lectures at W&M Law School regarding breast cancer and the law. Bowditch and Gibson also moderated a talk titled "Empower Her Health" in 2024 as part of W&M's Road to Women's Weekend series. Student volunteers frequently assist with the annual Run for the Hills 5K.

Another connection is alumna Mary Stultz Meagher M.B.A. '86, a longtime volunteer and chair of the advisory council of Here for the Girls. She had moved to Williamsburg after retirement because of her ties to William & Mary, but also found a calling with Here for the Girls. A two-time breast cancer survivor, she was first diagnosed at age 43.

Meagher continues giving back to William & Mary through her work as an executive partner at the business school, where she mentors and coaches other MBA students. She sees a link between William & Mary and Here for the Girls through their approaches to leadership.

"I think that William & Mary's definition of civic leadership relates to the story of Here for the Girls. It's all about giving back to the community and providing that leadership," Meagher says.

One of its three major annual fundraising events - alongside the "Breast" Ball Golf Tournament and Run for the Hills 5K - is the Pink Carpet Gala, taking place on campus this year for the first time, at the W&M Alumni House. During this event, the organization will unveil its 20th annual calendar, celebrating how far Here for the Girls has come.

"It's a time to come together and thank the people who've supported us through this whole 20 years," Bowditch says.

Looking back on the last two decades, Gibson links the start of the organization to her own beginnings at William & Mary. She remembers the fall day that she moved into her room at Brown Hall, now the site of the new Robert M. Gates Hall, and as she looked back at her parents, she felt that she was "glancing back at the past and walking toward the future."

"I think we're still doing that with this organization," Gibson says, "A nod to the past, but we're focused on the future."

Isabella Dunn '28

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