Local
Support for Breast Cancer Programs
Money raised by the Susan G. Komen Breast
Cancer Foundation National Race for the Cure® supports local
breast cancer programs and international research.
Walking around the Komen National Race for the Cure® last
year, Ivy Ahmed was suddenly struck by how young all the women in
the signature pink t-shirts were. They had young kids, young
husbands. They were too young to be battling breast cancer, as was
indicated by those pink shirts.
"I looked around and they didn't look like breast cancer
survivors. Everyone of those women looked like me," said
Ahmed. "I just thought to myself, this has to stop."
And make it stop is exactly what Ahmed intends to do. As the
Case Management Coordinator/Public Health Educator for the D.C.
Department of Health, Ahmed works on Navigators for Case
Management, a program in the Case Management Services component of
Project WISH (Women into Staying Healthy), which is funded by a
grant from the Komen National Race for the Cure®.
The purpose of Project WISH is to serve women 18 and older in
Washington, D.C. with little or no health insurance. Navigators
for Case Management's goal is to continue to ensure women who have
an abnormal breast cancer-screening exam receive a diagnosis
within 60 days of an abnormal screening. This will further
strengthen and support the Case Management component. Funding for
this program is critical in serving the medically underserved of
Washington, D.C. Without funding, Case Management Services would
not be able to as effectively provide the timely and accurate
services that are helping detect cancers early and ultimately
saving lives.
"We're the safety net for the safety net providers in
Washington, D.C.," said Ahmed. "It's our job to help
keep a vulnerable group of women from becoming someone else who is
wearing a pink breast cancer survivor t-shirt."
That, too, is the mission of the Komen Foundation - to
eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease through the
advancement of breast cancer research, education, screening and
treatment. With more than $600 million raised in the last twenty
years, the Komen Foundation is the leading catalyst in the fight
against breast cancer. The Komen Race for the Cure® Series is the
Foundation's signature event and one of the ways the Komen
Foundation raises funds.
The Komen National Race in Washington, D.C., the flagship for all
Komen Races, is the largest 5K run/fitness walk in the world, and
a major contributor to the renowned Komen Foundation Award and
Research Grant Program.
"The Komen National Race, like all 113 Komen Races
nationwide, allows us to fund local programs and research grants
that might otherwise be overlooked," said Susan Braun,
Foundation president and chief executive officer. "We are
committed to using our funds wisely, supporting outreach programs
that will help women facing breast cancer today and investing in
research that will one day find a cure for the disease."
More than $1 million of funds raised through the Komen National
Race will remain in Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland to
fund outreach programs and initiatives that address the specific
unmet breast health needs of the community. These programs include
breast health education and breast cancer screening and treatment
projects like Project WISH and Navigators for Case Management.
In order to ensure their grants make the greatest impact, the
Foundation works with local medical experts and community leaders
to conduct comprehensive community needs assessments. These
community profiles are used to establish local grant application
and review processes consistent with the Foundation's standards
and mission.
Ahmed believes the Komen grant review process is the key to
success.
"Every few years the Komen Foundation does a needs
assessment in this area to identify priorities and make sure
grants awarded are reflective of the population's unmet
needs," said Ahmed. "It's reassuring to know what the
Foundation identifies as important is the same as what we identify
as important."
The remaining funds from the Komen National Race support the
Komen Foundation Award and Research Grant Program, which funds
groundbreaking breast cancer research, meritorious awards and
educational and scientific conferences worldwide. From its
inception in 1982 through 2001, the Foundation has awarded more
than 700 grants totaling $90 million for breast cancer research.
Oftentimes, the Foundation is the only source of funding for
cutting-edge breast cancer research, some of which has led to
landmark discoveries in the quest to find a cure for and
eventually prevent breast cancer.
"As a program, we are very grateful to the Komen National
Race because, bottom line, it helps," said Ahmed.
"Ultimately, people participating in the Race means their
money is going to come back and help people in their
community."
To be a part of this fundraising initiative and help fund more
community-based programs like Ahmed's, runners and walkers can
register online, by mail, at one-stop registration sites and
through late registration. Visit www.nationalraceforthecure.org
for details. Entry forms will also be available in April at
several merchants in the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan
area. Registration sites throughout D.C., Maryland and Virginia
will open in May. A complete list of sites, including dates and
times, is posted on the Komen National Race Web site.
The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation was established in
1982 by Nancy Brinker to honor the memory of her sister, Susan G.
Komen, who died from breast cancer at the age of 36. For breast
health or breast cancer concerns, visit the Foundation's
award-winning Web site at www.komen.org
or call the Komen Foundation's Toll-Free Breast Care Helpline at
1.800 I M AWARE.
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