Celebrating this year’s Bulldogs Battling Breast Cancer donation to St. Mary's are, from left to right, front: Teresa Abbott, Leslie Standridge and Dwight Standridge; back: Michael Abbott, Jay Abbott, Stonish Pierce, Jeff Brown and Dr. Kathleen Jeffery

Bulldogs Battling Breast Cancer (BBBC), their benefactors and their partners at St. Mary’s Health Care System came together recently to celebrate the non-profit organization’s donation of $300,000 to St. Mary’s Breast Health Services.

The funds represent the proceeds from BBBC’s many fundraising activities in 2025, including the BBBC Charity Golf Classic at The Georgia Club in Statham and the Currahee Golf Classic in Toccoa, as well as events such as Pink in the Rink UGA hockey at The Classic Center.

“We are so grateful for the transformational support we continue to receive from Jay and Teresa Abbott and their incredibly generous team at Bulldogs Battling Breast Cancer,” said Jennifer Messer, St. Mary’s chief development officer. “Their partnership with St. Mary’s is an inspiration to think boldly about how we can continue to expand our breast health services to everyone in our community who is afflicted with this devastating disease.”

“I am so amazed at how Jay and Teresa have turned what was a scary, anxiety-provoking diagnosis into an amazing philanthropic endeavor,” said Dr. Kathleen Jeffery, medical director of St. Mary’s Breast Health Center and the region’s first female surgeon dedicated exclusively to breast health. “Their passion and generosity have provided so much for our patients fighting breast cancer in the community.”

The 2025 donation brings BBBC’s cumulative giving to St. Mary’s Breast Health Services Fund to $2,079,000.

“Teresa and I are humbled by and grateful for the outpouring of love we continue to receive,” said Jay Abbott, who co-founded BBBC with his wife, Teresa, and their friends Dwight and Leslie Standridge. “We send our deepest thanks to all those who lift us up in prayer and who support Bulldogs Battling Breast Cancer in so many ways, especially our good friends Dwight and Leslie. We can’t tell you how much it means to us that you care. Let’s get out there and beat cancer for good.”

BBBC began in October 2003 when Teresa Abbott was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of Stage 3 breast cancer. Over the next 18 months, she endured surgeries and countless numbers of chemotherapy and radiation sessions. It was grueling, but at the end of her treatment journey, Teresa was pronounced cancer-free.

Inspired and grateful, the Abbott family chose to share Teresa’s story and thank all their friends and family who supported them during those long months. They wanted to do something to help others battle the disease, especially those who had fewer resources. At the time, the Abbott’s youngest son, Chris, was playing football at the University of Georgia. With the help of then-head football coach Mark Richt and the UGA football team, the first annual Bulldogs Battling Breast Cancer Charity Golf Tournament was organized, and BBBC was born. 

In 2009, the Abbotts chose St. Mary’s Hospital and St. Mary’s Foundation as their partners and the beneficiary of funds raised by the Teresa’s Hope Foundation in the fight against breast cancer. Over the years, with BBBC’s financial support, St. Mary’s has provided hundreds of no-cost mammograms to uninsured women. In addition, BBBC’s support has helped St. Mary’s acquire state-of-the-art imaging equipment – including 3-D mammography systems – at the main hospital in Athens, its rural hospital in Lavonia, and its outpatient imaging center in Oconee County.

To learn more about BBBC, visit Bulldogs Battling Breast Cancer. To learn more about St. Mary’s breast health services, visit https://www.stmaryshealthcaresystem.org/services/women-and-maternity/breast-health.