Charlotte Affiliate

Our History
Like Susan G. Komen for the Cure itself, the Komen Charlotte Affiliate was founded on a promise. When Founder, Penelope Wilson, lost her partner to breast cancer in 1992, Penelope made a promise to make a difference. She was impressed that Komen for the Cure not only provided funding for research, but also supported locally based screening and education programs. A strong group of local women joined forces and held Charlotte's first Race for the Cure® on October 4, 1997. They hoped for 1,000 participants, and over 2,300 came. We've since grown our Race participation to over 13,000 participants! The staff, comprised of two and a half employees, board and over 500 dedicated volunteers, works tirelessly to improve breast health services and reach out to the underserved members in our community on a year-round basis.

The Race
On October 7, the Tenth Annual Komen Charlotte Race for the Cure® will take place in downtown Charlotte celebrating "The Power of Pink - 10 years and Running." The Power of Pink is about our passion for finding a cure for breast cancer and for positively affecting the lives of survivors, their families, health-care providers and the community.

Our Race features a Survivor's tent and breakfast for over 1,000 survivors along with an Expo and a Kid's Dash with crafts and children's activities. Concluding the morning festivities is an emotional Survivor's Ceremony in which survivors release thousands of pink balloons into the air representing their collective years of survivorship. To celebrate our tenth anniversary, this year's Race will honor our past Race chairs.

The Grants
Komen Charlotte started as a run in 1997, but ten years later we've become so much more -- we are a leader in our community, providing breast health education and services to countless women in need. In its tenth year of service to the community, the Komen Charlotte Affiliate funded twenty-one locally based education, screening and treatment programs throughout our nine-county service area. These programs reach out to women in need of screening, support groups and funding for treatment, not to mention providing educational opportunities for minorities.

Educating our Community
Last year, Komen Charlotte launched its first e-newsletter, called Pink Links -- www.komencharlotte.org/pinklinks. This has enabled us to communicate more consistently with our sponsors, grantees and volunteers. We have been able to educate more women about the resources we provide to those in need and our many educational and fundraising events. In addition, we are able to spotlight survivors and volunteers who deserve recognition throughout the year.

Another educational initiative this year was our first annual Pink Tea. This event targeted the African American population, more specifically African American faith leaders in the greater-Charlotte area. Approximately 220 women attended, and they were given the resources to return to their churches, synagogues and faith-based organizations with information about Komen Charlotte, breast health, early detection and treatment.

To register for our Tenth Annual Komen Charlotte Race for the Cure® or find out about other Komen Charlotte events, please visit our Web site www.komencharlotte.org.