Susan G. Komen Siouxland Race for the Cure

About Race for the Cure:

Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure is the largest series of 5k runs/fitness walks in the world, raising awareness and money to fight breast cancer and honoring the people and families touched by this disease. Siouxland's first race was held in 2009 in Sioux City. 75% of the money raised stays in Siouxland to fund education and screening programs, like free mammograms for the underserved. The remaining 25% funds research to find a cure for breast cancer.

About Susan G. Komen for the Cure:

Susan G. Komen fought breast cancer with her heart, body and soul. Throughout her diagnosis, treatments, and endless days in the hospital, she spent her time thinking of ways to make life better for other women battling breast cancer instead of worrying about her own situation. Moved by Susan’s compassion for others and commitment to making a difference, Nancy G. Brinker promised her sister that she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer.

Though Susan lost her battle with the disease, her legacy lives on through the work of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, the organization Nancy started in her honor. Komen for the Cure is the global leader of the breast cancer movement, having invested more than $1 billion since its inception in 1982. Komen’s promise is to save lives and end breast cancer forever by empowering people, ensuring quality care for all and energizing science to find the cures.
Across the country, that promise is upheld by a network of 122 local Affiliate offices. At the heart of each Affiliate is a person or group of people who, like Susan, wanted to make a difference.

About the Siouxland Affiliate:

The Siouxland Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® was formed in 1999 by a local attorney who lost her mother to breast cancer and was discouraged by the lack of community resources for breast cancer patients and their families. By 2001, a grass-roots group of women had formed an application committee and were rewarded for their efforts when in April 2004, formation of the Siouxland Affiliate was formally announced.

Service area re-alignment and expansion occurred in early 2007 to include seven counties at the tri-state corner of Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. This has allowed us to better serve our region by incorporating two Nebraska counties who are closely tied to the Sioux City metropolitan area and creating a service area that more accurately represents our interconnected com-munities. The governing board of the Siouxland Affiliate is composed of five to fifteen (15) members who represent many counties in the areas served.

Successful and continually increasing fundraising and educational and awareness events have brought exciting new levels of cause recognition and knowledge to our communities. A major milestone was achieved in May 2009, when the Komen Siouxland Affiliate held its first and long-anticipated Race for the Cure.

The Komen Siouxland Affiliate is proud to have awarded more than $600,000 in grants during the past five years to promote breast health at all stages of life through prevention and early detection. Each year, the Siouxland Affiliate has been able to increase the amount of grants and number of programs funded. Despite today’s difficult economic times, we look forward to new and creative ideas for fundraising so the Affiliate can continue to increase the services offered to our counties.

Fundraising and grant-awarded programs have provided education and support services to community members and healthcare providers throughout our seven-county service area. Growth of the Komen Siouxland Affiliate is now such that we are a primary regional resource for all issues related to breast health. We remain deeply committed to our vision of living in a world free of breast cancer.