At the first Delta Doves luncheon, which was held at the Mad Dog in Crawford, everyone fit around one table. The number of women filling the fellowship area at Redeemer Lutheran Church last Saturday shows how far the organization has come.

Mary Kuhn, one of the women who helped get the organization started, introduced the guest speaker at the spring luncheon, which remains one of the group's primary fundraisers. Kuhn said the group was started by four or five women, including several mammographers from the hospital who realized that far too many women in Delta County were being referred for breast imaging examinations after their cancer had spread, reducing the likelihood that treatment would be successful.

The women named themselves the DOVES, but Kuhn can no longer recall what each letter of the acronym represented. Kuhn now lives in Grand Junction where she works for Comfort Keepers, which is owned by Ora Lee and her husband.

Lee, a breast cancer survivor, was the keynote speaker. "I'm here because of a mammogram," she said. Five months after her husband died of brain cancer, a mammogram revealed a suspicious lump in her breast. "My two children could have been left alone," she said. She underwent chemotherapy and faced her greatest fear — losing her hair — only to discover that the wig she purchased, with its long, straight hair, gave her joy and confidence whenever she wore it.

Rasied to be a self-sufficient, independent woman in Israel, she learned to rely on others for friendship and support. She came to the United States in 1979 as an exchange teacher and stayed to marry, raise her family and pursue a successful career.

The luncheon was prepared by Altrusa International of Delta as a community service project. Music was provided by David and Tamara Hauze, and fashions were modeled from Tara's and Nina Suzanne's. A silent auction featured merchandise, gift certificates and services from area businesses.

The luncheon is one of two fundraisers hosted by the Delta Doves. In October, the women sell homemade apple crisp and cinnamon rolls at AppleFest. Proceeds from both events support the Delta Doves' mission of paying for mammograms for Delta County women under 50 who cannot afford the procedure. Women over 50 are covered under a separate government program.

For more information, call Nita Casto, 874-3442.

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