El Paso Affiliate

Our History

Like many Affiliates, El Paso first began as a Race for the Cure® event brought to El Paso by the collaborative efforts of a group of concerned women. In 1993, the first-ever Komen El Paso Race for the Cure® was held at Loretto Academy, and we used the money to purchase El Paso's only mobile mammography van for the Texas Tech University Breast Care Center.

Since our inception, the El Paso Affiliate has raised more than $2.2 million dollars to provide breast cancer education, screening and treatment resources. This year alone, we will provide over $363,000 to the El Paso Community in the fight against breast cancer. In addition to funding local non-profits and educational institutions for their breast cancer work, the El Paso Affiliate is actively involved in providing education and outreach throughout the county.

Our Events

Komen El Paso Race for the Cure®
The Komen El Paso Race for the Cure® continues to be our largest fundraiser. In 1993, over 800 individuals participated in the Race. In 2007, over 9,500 individuals participated in the Race as we celebrated our 15th anniversary. We anticipate an even larger group of participants at our 16th Annual Komen El Paso Race for the Cure® on February 17, 2008, and increased support of our Pledge program with the El Paso Ford Dealer's donation of the special edition Susan G. Komen for the Cure Mustang!

Susan G. Komen for the Cure Survivor Luncheon
Each Spring the El Paso Affiliate hosts a Survivor Luncheon to honor local survivors and their families. Each year, we have approximately 800 attendees. We have been fortunate to have had keynote speakers such as Soraya, Rene Syler and Dr. LaSalle Lefall. In addition, we have a breast cancer survivor fashion show and a candlelight tribute to survivors.

Our Mission Work

Education
Based on the findings in our Community Profile, we focus our mission work on reaching out to survivors, young women, women in the workplace and the underserved in El Paso. Our Education Committee has developed a newly diagnosed kit that is distributed to local hospitals and cancer treatment centers. Our Teens for the Cure committee members, all teen girls themselves, are invaluable in educating their peers through annual presentations and involvement in the Komen El Paso Race for the Cure®. Lastly, we collaborate with our grantees and other non-profit organizations to reach out to underserved men and women throughout our community.

Grantees
Our grantees are the backbone of the Komen El Paso Affiliate. Currently, we have eight local grantees that focus on the continuation of breast health and breast cancer. Our grantees are our partners and work with us to help those who call our office in search of care. We are grateful for the work they do in our area, and are pleased when Komen El Paso is recognized because of the good work of our grantees.

Unique Media Collaborations

Education & Awareness
On Wednesday, July 25, the El Paso Affiliate teamed up with Univision Channel 26 during their 5:00 newscast. During the 26 A Su Lado (On Your Side) segment, the news featured information about breast cancer and interviewed Maria I. Sanchez, Komen's Outreach Manager. The anchors directed their viewers to call Channel 26 during 5-7 p.m. to ask questions of our bilingual volunteers. In two hours, volunteers answered more than 350 calls! Our staff answered an additional 200 calls over the next week. It was a very successful event in getting the important message out!

Volunteerism
The El Paso Affiliate approached a local weekly print publication, El Paso Inc. and What's Up, to host a volunteer fair for the El Paso community. The event, to be held on November 15, 2007, will consist of over 30 non-profit organizations, each showcasing their organization, volunteer opportunities and ways to further volunteerism in El Paso. The newspaper provided in-kind advertising and will feature additional advertisements for the participating non-profit organizations in their special "Philanthropy issue" the week of Thanksgiving.