Salt Lake City Affiliate
Komen Race for the CureŽ
The genesis of the Salt Lake City Affiliate was in 1996 when several women whose lives had been touched by breast cancer independently contacted Komen Foundation headquarters about establishing a Race for the CureŽ in Utah. The Foundation put these women in touch with one another and the result was the first Komen Race for the CureŽ held Salt Lake City in 1997. As participants in a first-time event, runners in the group anticipated the race would attract between 600 and 900 participants. That first Race actually attracted over 1,700 participants and has been growing ever since. In 2006, the tenth year of the Race, the number of participants has increased to almost 14,000. The Komen Salt Lake City Race for the CureŽ is the largest run/walk in the state of Utah and has been for many years.
As the Race grew, so did the number of sponsors, donations, educational and fund-raising opportunities and best of all, money for grants. In response, the Salt Lake City Affiliate was established in 1999. In 2006, we hired our first staff member, Tracy Miller, who helps coordinate Affiliate activities in the four-county region (Davis, Weber, Salt Lake and Utah) served by the Salt Lake City Affiliate.
Cook for the CureŽ Event
The Salt Lake Cook for the CureŽ is the best place to try great food from the area's finest restaurants, check out the latest in high-end kitchen appliances, learn a few tricks from local chefs as well as raise money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The second Salt Lake Cook for the CureŽ is scheduled for Saturday, October 20, 2007, at Kimball Distributing and promises to be bigger, better and even more fun than the first event in 2005. Cook for the CureŽ attracts restaurant-goers, beginner and advanced home cooks, those interested in healthy food preparation and party-givers. Survivors and their families, friends and caregivers will also attend.
Other Events
The SLC Affiliate is one of six Affiliates that participate in the Romp to Stomp Out Breast CancerŽ-an annual Snowshoe event to be held February 3, 2007, in Salt Lake City. We also participate in the BMW Ultimate DriveŽ as well as Row for the CureŽ and two Bowl for the CureŽ events, one in Salt Lake County and one in Davis County.
Tickled Pink Sponsor Recognition and Grant Disbursement Luncheon
The Salt Lake Affiliate has always understood the important relationship between raising money through sponsorships and granting that money to Utah organizations to further the Foundation objectives on the local level. In 2004 our Affiliate began a delightful event that recognizes the contribution our sponsors provide and awards the yearly grant monies to each agency selected. Our Tickled Pink Luncheon, with its delicious meal and the music of a string trio, provides an oasis of appreciation not only for our sponsors, but for the grant agencies that administer the programs. We recognize the sponsors by honoring each individual contribution with a flower spray and award, this year adding also a custom photo DVD containing a tribute to sponsors and survivors. We then invite the grant agencies to describe their respective outreach programs.
Grant Activities for the Salt Lake City Affiliate
For over eight years, the Salt Lake City Affiliate has awarded 12 to 14 grants each year to community agencies that fund a variety of education, treatment support and screening services. Grant monies from our Affiliate have allowed community partners to provide needed services to a large range of individuals, e.g. children and teens who have a family member with breast cancer, underinsured and uninsured women with breast cancer, young women who are genetically at-risk for breast cancer, Hispanic women and their families who need more information and support services for dealing with breast cancer and culturally specific breast health education for Pacific Islander women.
We truly are "racing" toward a brighter future of better breast health with steady progress in both the Race and other event participation numbers, thereby accelerating our local funding possibilities within the framework of our great National organization.