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A place of sanctuary for support and communion is what Team WHIP promises for its third Coffee and Connections event, which will be hosted this Saturday at The Copper Carrot Bakery.

“It’s an outlet,” said Narfunda Ross, founder of Team WHIP. “You won’t be judged. You have a voice. You get to share with others while extending a hand of hope to them as well.”

The walk begins at 8:30 a.m. ET at the West Point Park. From there, walkers will head into downtown West Point and arrive at The Copper Carrot Bakery for coffee, baked goods and a support group.

Team WHIP (Working to Help Those In Pink), a local nonprofit organization, aims to build support and resources for breast cancer survivors in the community. WHIP began as a breast cancer walk in 2015 founded by Ross, a breast cancer survivor and caregiver, and quickly took on a life of its own.

The event is sponsored by Team WHIP’s sponsor, Forge Breast Cancer Center in Birmingham. The goal of the event is to create a safe space for breast cancer survivors and co-survivors. “Co-survivors,” Ross said, are caregivers and support teams for cancer survivors.

Forge Breast Cancer Center is an organization that provides “individualized supportive services to anyone impacted by breast cancer in Alabama,” according to the center’s website.

Ross said the event has received great feedback from the community, including one new Team WHIP member who said it made her feel welcome and safe.

“And it really brightened her outlook going into this journey,” Ross said.

The group is a place for sharing one’s journey and forging bonds with those who have similar experiences.