Think Pinker

The last two posts have been about the remarkable Susan G. Komen Foundation, now known as Susan G. Komen for the Cure. One of the events that has happened almost since the founding of the foundation is the Race for the Cure. It is held in communities around the world to raise funds and awareness of the fight against breast cancer.

The first race took place in Dallas, Texas in 1983. Over 800 participants braved the five mile fitness event to raise funds to fight breast cancer.

Today private donors team up with huge corporate sponsorships to help raise money at these amazing events. Each year, more than one million people cross the finish line in the United States and abroad.  It’s amazing to see what the Komen Foundation has accomplished and that there actually was a day when Nancy Brinker once asked herself if one person could make a difference.

More than 25 years have passed since the first racers walked or ran for the cure in Texas. From that beginning, millions of dollars have been raised for both local sponsoring chapters and for the national organization. With the Race, 75% of donations go to the local area that sponsored the event for cancer research and provide funds for breastcancer screenings. The remaining 25% goes to the national foundation for research and grants.

Nancy Brinker kept her promise to her sister to help women with breast cancer. She may have doubted in the early days that one person could make a difference, but the world now knows that she truly has made perhaps the biggest difference of all in the fight against breast cancer. To find a Race for the Cure near you, visit the Komen site.