SUSAN G. KOMEN FOR THE CURE:
WE’RE ON A MISSION TO END BREAST CANCER FOREVER
Global Breast Cancer Advocacy
Leader Marks 25th Anniversary with
New Name, New Logo, New Resolve and New Initiatives
DALLAS – Jan. 22, 2007 – The
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation is marking its 25th anniversary
with a renewed and impassioned mission that incorporates a new
name and logo, a $1 billion commitment and a host of initiatives
designed to support its promise to end breast cancer forever.
The organization’s new name is Susan G. Komen for the Cure
and will be represented by a new logo featuring a customized
version of the ubiquitous pink ribbon.
In the 25 years since its inception, Komen
for the Cure has successfully brought breast cancer out of the
closet, changing how the world talks about and treats the disease.
It has grown to become the world’s largest grassroots network
of survivors and activists, investing nearly $1 billion in the
cause and turning breast cancer into a priority health issue
for women, researchers, health professionals and politicians.
Though the organization’s promise to end breast cancer
remains the same, the new name, logo and look represent the bolder
stance Komen is taking toward fulfilling that promise.
“As the leader of the global breast
cancer movement, Susan G. Komen for the Cure is drawing a line
in the sand. We are literally on a mission to end breast cancer
forever and it’s high time we took ownership of the strides
we’ve made and declare our uncompromising commitment. Our
new name and logo leave no question about the only acceptable
result of the work we do – we are Susan G. Komen for the
Cure,” said Komen founder Nancy G. Brinker, a breast cancer
survivor. Brinker founded the organization in 1982 on a promise
she made to her sister, Susan G. Komen, who died of breast cancer
at age 36.
The decision to change the organization’s
name is the result of significant research that showed an opportunity
to extend Komen’s reach by linking the organization’s
name with its strongest asset – the Susan G. Komen Race
for the Cure® and its series of “for the Cure” trademarks.
Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the pink ribbon icon pay homage
to the inspiration behind Komen’s legacy, serve as reminders
that the lives of real women are at stake, define Komen’s
position and infuse it with a sense of urgency and hope.
25 Years
of Achievements
For the past 25 years, Komen for the Cure has played a critical
role in every major advance in the breast cancer movement.
Because of the organization’s
efforts to establish the importance of early detection in finding and treating
breast cancer, nearly 75 percent of women over the age of 40 now receive regular
screening mammograms, compared to just 30 percent in 1982. Before the organization
was founded, the five-year survival rate for breast cancer, when diagnosed
before it spreads beyond the breast, was just 74 percent. Today, it is 98 percent.
Komen is perhaps most widely known for
its signature event, the Komen Race for the Cure – arguably
the most successful fundraising and education event for breast
cancer ever created. Brinker created the Race series as a way
to educate the public about breast cancer while raising funds
to discover and deliver the cures. The first Race took place
in 1982 in Dallas with 800 participants, many of which wore pink
to symbolize the breast cancer movement for the first time. Today,
more than one million people annually participate in more than
100 Race events, raising funds to help meet local breast health
needs and educating their communities about breast health and
breast cancer.
Leveraging the ability of Race events to
engage one person and one community at a time, Komen pioneered
its grassroots model with the creation of Affiliates. Today,
125 Komen Affiliates around the world serve more than 18,000
communities. Recognizing the limitations of Komen’s reach
alone, Brinker pioneered the concept of cause-related marketing.
Today, more than 130 corporate partners work with Komen to deliver
life-saving messages to millions of consumers where they live,
work and play.
Seeing it Through
In the world of breast cancer, the big questions are still without answers:
what causes the disease and how can it be prevented? One in eight American
women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Without a cure
in the next 25 years, an estimated 25 million women globally will be diagnosed
with breast cancer and an estimated 10 million will die from the disease.
It is obvious that breast cancer is not yet under control.
In response to these hard facts, Komen
is pledging to invest an additional $1 billion in education,
community health programs and research in the next decade. By
the end of 2007, Komen already will have invested nearly $1 billion
in breast cancer research and community outreach programs, making
it the world’s largest source of non-profit funds for the
fight against breast cancer. Additionally, the organization is
committed to agitating in the public policy arena to address
life and death issues women face as they navigate the current
health care system.
“ We will mobilize more than 10 million activists – everyday people
who share our determination and passion to end breast cancer,” said Hala
Moddelmog, Komen president and CEO and a five-year breast cancer survivor. “We
will work every day to save lives and to spare future generations the pain of
this disease.”
25th Anniversary
Initiatives
Throughout 2007, Komen for the Cure is focusing on special national and international
initiatives and unveiling new ways for everyday people to commit to the cure
and experience Komen’s new brand. Key initiatives include: the Komen
Community Challenge, a policy and education tour to 25 communities; the first-ever
State of Breast Cancer Report and the world’s first Global Breast Cancer
Advocate Summit. For more information on 25th anniversary initiatives taking
place throughout 2007, visit www.komen.org.
Komen for the Cure is also unveiling its
Promise Ring, a symbol of the unbroken promise between two sisters
that launched the organization. Individuals can wear the ring
as their fashion manifesto or as a way to enhance visibility
of their commitment to the cure. Available online at www.25komen.org
as a set (2 for $5), the Promise Ring enables Komen to continue
to fund innovative research and community outreach programs.
About Susan G.
Komen for the Cure
Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything
in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became Susan
G. Komen for the Cure and launched the global breast cancer movement. Today,
Komen for the Cure is the world’s largest grassroots network of breast
cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure
quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. Thanks to events
like the Komen Race for the Cure, we have invested nearly $1 billion to fulfill
our promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the
fight against breast cancer in the world. For more information about Susan
G. Komen for the Cure, breast health or breast cancer, visit www.komen.org
or call 1-800 I’M AWARE.
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