North Florida Affiliate

Our History

Like many affiliates, we first began as a Race for the Cure® event. In 1994, the first ever North Florida Race for the Cure® was held in Jacksonville Beach. The Race was brought to Jacksonville by a collaborative effort of the local ZTA chapter and local volunteers. After a successful event, an affiliate was created in an effort to continue to raise money for local breast health programs. The North Florida Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure was formed in 1995, with 12 men and women serving on the board.

Today, we are the most "northern" of the six Florida Komen Affiliates, and cover Duval, Clay, Nassau, St. John's and Baker counties on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. We currently operate with a board of directors, made up of 15 men and women, an executive director and about 150 year-around volunteers.

Our Events

Komen North Florida Race for the Cure®
The Komen North Florida Race for the Cure continues to be our largest fundraiser, and this year we celebrate our 13th anniversary. The 2007 Komen North Florida Race will be held on Saturday, October 20, 2007, at Metropolitan Park in downtown Jacksonville, FL. Our Race begins and ends right next to the St. John's River, and the race route includes a jog around the Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, home to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Our honorary chairs this year are Jacksonville Jaguar players, David Garrard and Reggie Nelson, who both lost their mothers to breast cancer. Our goal for this year is 8000 people. Last year, we celebrated our largest Race and hope to continue the trend!

Laugh for the Cure
In an effort to be known for more than "just a race", the Komen North Florida Affiliate added another event in May, 2007. Our first Laugh for the Cure was a huge success and a lot of fun! We worked with our local Comedy Zone at the Ramada Inn and had three outstanding comedians. The evening also included a live and silent auction, drinks and a light dinner. Everyone in attendance raved about what a great time they had. We are looking forward to another great Laugh for the Cure in 2008.

Our Mission Work

Education
Through our Community Profile, we have identified that education continues to be a struggle in our area. Therefore, we developed an extensive education plan that included year-around outreach in our areas. We partner with several other local breast cancer organizations, including our grantees, to distribute Komen education materials out to hard to reach audiences. One example is the Breast Cancer Symposium we do with the local Sisters Network. This day-long event brings breast health information to African American women. In addition to events, we strive to have a presence at local health fairs and health education events. We are grateful to our volunteers who work many of these events.

Grantees
Our grantees are the backbone of the Komen North Florida Affiliate. Currently, we have seven local grantees and the majority of them concentrate on screening mammograms for the underinsured and uninsured in the North Florida area. Our grantees are our partners and work with us to help those that call our office in search of care. We are grateful for the work they do in our area, and are pleased when Komen North Florida is recognized because of the good work of one of our grantees.