NCCC Virginia (Fairfax) Chapter
Chapter Leader: Charlotte Bonner
Dr. Charlotte Roxaine Bonner is a Community Health Liaison with over 25 years of experience within academia, nonprofit organizations, and the medical industry. Her launch point into the medical field began with working for the national health organization Kaiser Permanent as a Worker Compensation Claims Specialist. Dr. Bonner also received exposure to hands-on clinical duties while working at Kaiser. After leaving Kaiser Permanente, her journey continued to the Greater Cleveland Health Service Council. While there, she promoted and advocated for healthy living throughout the Greater Cleveland Metropolitan area. There she discovered a love for public speaking by educating low-socioeconomic communities with valuable health resources. Her tenure also includes working for Planned Parenthood of Greater Cleveland, where it advanced her clinical experience as a Medical Assistant.
Dr. Bonner then migrated to New York to work for the Women in Need Inc. (women’s shelter). She worked as an activity coordinator and facilitated workshops on healthy living, parenting, birth defects, and nutrition. Once again, Dr. Bonner allowed her passion to drive her purpose by becoming the director at Artemis House, a 24-hour emergency shelter for victims in danger of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking. Before working as the director of Shelter House, Dr. Bonner also spent time in academia with Edward Water University and Florida College at Jacksonville, to name a few. Dr. Bonner is the mother of four Gen Z teenagers. Boss lady/mother is the title she claims.
Dr. Bonner is a doctoral graduate of Walden University in the PhD program in Health Services/Policy. She has received the Community Pearl Award for her outstanding community service for infant and maternal health from Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., as well as the Harriett Tubman Trailblazer Award for doing the critical work of co-creating a community organization to help babies be born healthy to mothers and families in communities throughout Jacksonville, FL.
In her role as a chapter leader for the National Cervical Cancer Coalition, Dr. Bonner has done several speaking engagements to get out the word about preventing cervical cancer and has served as a panelist for the Duval County Health Department. Dr. Bonner has made several contributions to the academic world by reviewing textbook material for classes such as Medical Terminology, Pathopsychological, and more. She is also the author of a published book on Amazon titled Health Now: The Rebirth of Mobile Medicine.
Dr. Bonner’s future endeavor is to continue pursuing her nonprofit organization, Medical Oasis Corporation, and its goal to offer a mobile health clinics to increase access to care for working women. Dr. Bonner wants more people to focus on preventive health to increase life expectancy.
Want to learn more about the chapter? Interested in volunteering for an upcoming event or fundraiser, or just getting more information? Contact Charlotte Bonner to learn more.
Chapter Leader: Mrs. Toni Cooper Towler
As a survivor of cervical cancer for 7 years, I have become a true advocate for routine screenings and HPV vaccinations and In turn, hoping for early detection and ultimately saving lives of future women.
I’ll never forget the date, October 30, 2017 when I was diagnosed with Stage 2 Cervical cancer. I was in the height of motherhood of my three teenage children and as a single mother, they were my primary focus.
After receiving news of an abnormal pap smear, I was told I had HPV. I was unsure of what that meant and reached out to my best friend, A registered nurse, to receive more information. She proceeded in telling me the risks and overall continued to follow up with my physician. After two LEEP procedures, I was told that the cancer had rapidly spread and was immediately scheduled for surgery. Surgery was scheduled for November 10, 2017. The team who performed the surgery was entirely informative as to what was to come.
After much recovery and the excellent support of family and friends, including my mother, sister, children and best friend. I am forever grateful for the strength and support they showed me. As my passion for Cervical Cancer Awareness grows , it is important to recognize that cervical cancer is preventable and awareness for the disease needs to be spoken out loud. I am prepared to continue with routine screenings, educate our young women on HPV vaccinations and I will remain an advocate by empowering women to spread the word with the hope to continue to save lives and encourage early detection.