2013 Komen Detroit Race for the Cure® awards more than $1million to local breast cancer programs

DETROIT, Sept. 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Susan G. Komen Detroit Race for the Cure® leaders announced that they have awarded more than $1 million to local breast cancer education, screening and treatment programs as a result of the 2013 Komen Detroit Race for the Cure®, locally presented by the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, held May 18 at Comerica Park.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130920/DC83518)

The announcement was made Sept. 18 at the Komen Detroit Friends and Team Captains Celebration honoring fundraising accomplishments. More than 350 supporters were in attendance. In addition to the grants awarded to local programs, $291,719 was contributed to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Award and Research Grant Program, benefitting scientists committed to ending breast cancer.

Each year, the Komen Detroit Race for the Cure awards 75 percent of the current year's net proceeds to organizations serving Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. Funds support breast cancer education, screening and treatment support programs for medically underserved women and men. The remaining 25 percent funds global breast cancer research and project grants awarded through Komen for the Cure. Since 1992, the Komen Detroit Race for the Cure has raised and invested $25 million to help end breast cancer.

"We know this year was challenging. And we also know that it continues to be challenging to the women and men who need our help," said Katrina Studvent, co-chair, Komen Detroit Race for the Cure. "In more than 30 years, Komen's mission has never wavered. While our metro Detroit community continues its own fight to be strong and healthy, Komen Detroit's commitment to those who need our help is stronger and more focused than ever. We are very grateful that you stand by our side. Together, we will work together to end this disease."

This year's Race drew a crowd of 30,000 participants, including nearly 500 Race teams whose fundraising efforts helped make local grants possible.

"Each year, we experience the outpouring of support from the metro Detroit community – our neighbors from all walks of life who come together to honor, remember and celebrate those who have been touched by breast cancer," said Maureen Keenan Meldrum, chair, Komen Detroit Race for the Cure.

"Thanks to the generosity of 100 sponsors, including outstanding media partners, and thousands of participants, more people will survive breast cancer and those who are uninsured or underinsured will have access to life-saving breast cancer screenings, treatment and education programs – because of your support."  

Currently, there are 2.9 million breast cancer survivors in the United States – bigger than any population of cancer survivors. That includes people living with metastatic breast cancer who continue to face their disease every day.

2013 Komen Detroit-Funded Local Breast Cancer Programs

After reviewing several grant applications, a panel of community experts invested Race proceeds in the following programs:

• ACCESS: BREAST CANCER OUTREACH PROJECT – Awarded $72,000
  Adnan Hammad, Ph.D., Arab Community Center for Economic & Social Services

The Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) will continue engaging the low-income Arab American community in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. Through the program, 1,500 women will receive comprehensive, one-on-one health education through in-home visits, and 1,200 women with no previous history of breast cancer screening will receive a free mammogram and clinical breast exam.

• EXTEND AND ENHANCE: PROVIDING BCCCP SERVICES TO MORE WOMEN IN WAYNE COUNTY – Awarded $543,579
  Robert Burack, M.D., MPH, Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute/Wayne State University

The Wayne County Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program (BCCCP), serving Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, will continue to provide breast screening, follow-up and treatment at no out-of-pocket cost to uninsured women in the metro Detroit region. This grant will add more breast screenings to the number already funded by the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) and will enhance the program by navigating women to Affordable Care Act (ACA) programs and covering remaining service gaps.

• HELPING HANDS:  BREAST DIAGNOSTIC AND LIMITED TREATMENT SERVICES TO LOW-INCOME/UNINSURED PATIENTS AT THE ALEXANDER J. WALT BREAST CENTER – Awarded $375,532
  Laura Zubeck, R.N., BSN, MBA/HCA, Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute

The Helping Hands grant will continue to cover diagnostic and limited treatment for uninsured/underinsured women and men who are not eligible for other support. The grant will also cover service gaps for some patients enrolled in the BCCCP. Karmanos Cancer Institute staff will evaluate all requests for financial assistance and provide educational materials, system navigation, follow-up guidance as well as help with other needs, such as transportation, prescriptions, just to name a few.

• SISTER & SISTER FREE MAMMOGRAM PROGRAM – Awarded $22,890
  Teresa Rodges, MSA, McLaren Oakland Foundation

The Sister & Sister Free Mammogram Program will continue to increase mammogram screening and survival rates among hard-to-reach uninsured/underinsured African-American and Hispanic women in the greater Pontiac area by correcting misconceptions about breast cancer, using the evidence-based "witnessing" model. Those in need will be navigated to follow-up testing, and if cancer is found, navigated to treatment.

Recognizing Outstanding Fundraising
 
The program opened with the premier of a video created at this year's Race by Emmy-Award Winners Tom Daldin and Jim Edelman from Under the Radar, one of the media partners for this year's Komen Detroit Race.

The song featured in the video, "Heroes for Life," donated by singer-songwriter Steve Acho, is available on iTunes. For under $1, the public can download the song and proceeds will support the Komen Detroit Race for the Cure.

The Sept. 18 celebration was also an opportunity to recognize outstanding fundraising efforts through the Friends for the Cure® program. This program acknowledges captains of Race teams of 40 or more members, or teams that raise more than $5,000; and individuals who raise more than $1,000.

Michael Meldrum, volunteer chair of Friends for the Cure® said, "Since this program started 17 years ago, Friends has raised $10.1 million dollars and now accounts for nearly half of total Komen Detroit Race revenue. Although we are grateful for everyone's contributions, these outstanding fundraisers are the backbone of the Komen Detroit Race."

Seventy Platinum Club members raised $2,500 or more. Nineteen Promise Club members raised $5,000 or more. Of the top ten individual fundraisers, the latter seven of this impressive group together raised $60,628.

 The top three fundraisers for 2013 are:

• 1st place winner, for the fifth consecutive year, is Dorene Williams of West Bloomfield, who raised $18,800 this year. In the past five years, Dorene's total fundraising has reached $117,300.
• 2nd place winner is Stephanie Bourdon of Livonia, who raised $13,840 this year, making her four-year cumulative fundraising total more than $39,000.
• 3rd place winner is Audrey Sim, M.D., of St. Clair Shores. Dr. Sim raised $12,338 this year. Her individual fundraising total for the past eight years has reached over $80,000.

Five Race teams were recognized with the New Balance Highest Percentage Awards – teams with the highest percentage of team members raising $100 or more each.

Five more teams were recognized with the New Balance Team Award for the Most Dollars Raised. Ford Motor Company not only raised $80,110 this year but they also had the largest team at 1,679 members. In the past 22 years of the Komen Detroit Race, Ford has brought thousands together to raise more than $550,000 locally for Komen Detroit. As a national partner, the Ford Warriors in Pink Program has dedicated more than $115 million to the breast cancer cause.

A special Komen Promise of One Award was given to Jan Tebelman of Sterling Heights, Mich., lovingly know on the Komen Detroit Race Committee as "Race Lady Jan." Tebelman was one of five sisters and from a close, loving family. Before Tebelman's sister Nan lost her battle with breast cancer, Tebelman started the team "Nan's Fans," which in 2001 was the largest family team at the Komen Detroit Race for the Cure – 176 members strong. Tebelman's volunteer efforts as co-chair of Komen Detroit Race Teams continued to honor the memory of her sister. Thanks to Tebelman's enthusiasm, hard work, kindness, infectious laugh and talent for persuasion, Race Teams not only grew, but flourished with participants just as passionate as Tebelman in their goal to end breast cancer.

In addition to the awards celebration, a panel of breast cancer experts representing the Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University School of Medicine and Henry Ford Health System, gave an update on breast cancer research progress and took questions from the audience.

The 23rd Annual Susan G. Komen Detroit Race for the Cure will be held in spring 2014. More information will be announced in the coming weeks at  http://www.karmanoscancer.org/KomenDetroit/. 

About Susan G. Komen
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 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, Komen has invested more than $790 million in research and nearly $1.6 billion in community programs to fulfill the promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world. Judith A. Salerno, M.D., M.S., is the organization's president and chief executive officer. For more information about Susan G. Komen, breast health or breast cancer, visit www.komen.org or call 1-877 GO KOMEN.

Komen Detroit Race for the Cure is a top-tier event in Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure series which now spans more than 140 races on four continents, with 1.5 million participants annually. Locally presented by Karmanos Cancer Institute since Detroit's first Race in 1992, Komen Detroit has raised and invested $25 million. Operating as a year-round community resource, Komen Detroit provides breast cancer education, patient and family navigation, public policy/advocacy and volunteer opportunities. To connect, visit the website at www.karmanoscancer.org/KomenDetroit, become a Facebook fan at www.facebook.com/komendetroit, email [email protected] or call 248.304.2080.

About the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute
Located in mid-town Detroit, Michigan, the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute is one of 41 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. Caring for more than 6,000 new patients annually on a budget of $260 million, conducting more than 700 cancer-specific scientific investigation programs and clinical trials, Karmanos is among the nation's best cancer centers. Through the commitment of 1,000 staff, including nearly 300 physicians and researchers on faculty at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, and supported by thousands of volunteer and financial donors, Karmanos strives to prevent, detect and eradicate all forms of cancer. Its long-term partnership with the WSU School of Medicine enhances the collaboration of critical research and academics related to cancer care. Gerold Bepler, M.D., Ph.D., is the Institute's president and chief executive officer. Karmanos has been the Local Presenting Sponsor of the Susan G. Komen Detroit Race for the Cure since Detroit's first Race in 1992. For more information call 1-800-KARMANOS (1-800-527-6266) or go to www.karmanos.org.

SOURCE Susan G. Komen Detroit Race for the Cure