“No other women will go through this,” was the promise Kristi Dawson made to her late grandmother who had breast cancer and did not have the adequate amount of health coverage needed to help her. Since she made that promise, Dawson, a Chicago native, has been working hard to fulfill it through her organization Love Yourself First, Inc., and the annual “Pink Party” fundraiser she hosts in support of breast cancer awareness.
Dawson is the president of Creative Impact Public Relations. She got her start in PR after working in entertainment at the age of 15, which then evolved into marketing and promotions. She learned more about the industry and eventually fell in love with the world of public relations. Dawson’s core clientele includes community organizations, community activists, pastors and churches.
“I am political myself and so a lot of times, you will find me on the frontlines with them fighting for our community,” she said.
Dawson started her company Love Yourself First about four years ago. As it began to grow, she started researching healthcare, as well as access to it.
“I realized there’s a disparity for adequate health care when it comes to Caucasian women and African American women,” she said.
Love Yourself First has grown into a company that focuses on women’s health issues and getting the word out there about it to different communities. Its also become a liaison, helping women learn everything they needed to know about getting the healthcare they need from doctors, politicians and hospitals.
“We make sure they have adequate healthcare, that they have access to adequate healthcare, they know where to go, how much it costs, where to go for free healthcare, mammograms and things like that,” she explained.
Love Yourself First is also planning to develop a breast cancer center/information center in the Bronzeville area of Chicago. “We hope to get these grants so we can have more information forms, seminars, workshops, and gather those numbers so we can see that we can help African American women here in Bronzeville.”
Dawson, though her organization, throws an annual fundraiser called the “Pink Party.” The Pink Party is an intimate gathering where she chooses a different breast 
cancer organization each year for which to raise money. This year they will be raising money for Sisters Network Inc.––a network comprised of African American breast cancer survivors.
“We get together, and we just have fun, eat, drink, listen to music, and we raise money—party for a purpose,” she said.
Next year will be the fifth anniversary of Dawson’s “Pink Party.” She hopes to raise more funds than ever raised before. Last year, Dawson started giving out an award called the Pink Passion Award, which is given to a breast cancer survivor. Dawson describes the recipient as someone who has “kind of been like a warrior in this fight against cancer—so not only are they a survivor, but they are also in the frontlines fighting for us.”
Dawson hopes the Love Yourself First organization will travel the country continuing to fight against breast cancer. “I know we’re kind of like a small fish in a big pond, but like I always say, ‘One bandwagon like this, everybody should jump on.’ Because it’s a serious fight, it’s a serious disease and African American women lack so much information and knowledge about breast cancer itself. I want all of the African American women that I know to know what they need to know about breast cancer and how to prevent it. ”
