This year, the Southern Arizona Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure has been awarded more than $600,000 in grants to treat, diagnose and raise awareness about breast cancer.
The local affiliate received over twice the number of grant applications than last year, totaling $1.4 million in requested funds, according to a news release from the organization.
Of the 23 it received, 16 were approved and 14 were awarded, amounting to $660,376 in funds for a range of proposed programs across six counties in Southern Arizona, from cancer treatment and mammograms to wigs and education programs.
Two local organizations were not funded due to a fall in donations and participants in the annual Race for the Cure, Komen officials stated.
The donations and registration fees from this year's Race for the Cure totaled close to $403,000, along with $160,000 received in corporate sponsorship. This falls short of the $700,000 target, but because the 2011 and 2012 races fell within the same fiscal year, the Southern Arizona chapter decided to make up the shortfall with residual income from last year's race.
Chapter director Jaimie Leopold says that she was encouraged by the race donations that did come in, in spite of the economic downturn and the Komen National decision to change its Planned Parenthood funding guidelines - a decision that was later reversed.
"The local community heard our pleas and also our message, which is that most of the money donated to us stays local and saves lives," said Leopold. "We are truly grateful to our local media for helping us get the word out about just how dire Southern Arizona's breast health needs are. And we are extremely thankful that the public heard them and responded."
