Komen News: The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Launches College Tour to Reach Young Women
The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Launches College Tour to Reach Young Women
First-Ever, 10-Stop Tour Encourages Commitment to Life-Long Positive Breast Health Practices
DALLAS - September 13, 2004 - Recognizing that one in seven women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation has launched the Young Women's Initiative aimed at encouraging younger females to make a commitment now to life-long positive breast health practices.
On the Way to the Cure™ - The Komen College Tour launches today at Rutgers University. Rutgers is one of 10 college and university stops slated for a two-week interactive tour to raise awareness for early detection and support in finding a cure for a disease that will claim some 40,000 lives this year.
"It's never too early to start practicing breast self-exams, eating right or exercising," said Susan Brown, R.N., health educator for the Komen Foundation. "With this in mind, the initiative aimed at young women is more than an educational campaign or a one-time tour. The initiative will empower young women to make positive, life-long decisions about breast health that could save their lives."
On the Way to the Cure™ - The Komen College Tour will travel in a pink vehicle, which serves as an interactive learning station and features computer kiosks, informational materials about breast cancer, breast self-examination (BSE) guides, opportunities for local involvement, and on-site health care personnel to answer questions and provide information on how to schedule a clinical breast exam (CBE) at the campus health center.
To give the tour a personal feel, an eight-foot "graffiti wall" will be constructed at each stop, giving students a chance to share a memory or pledge their personal support in the cause to end breast cancer. In many cases, the graffiti wall will remain on campus as a poignant reminder of the role every individual plays in the fight for a cure.
On the Way to the Cure™ - The Komen College Tour was made possible by funds from the Val Skinner Foundation, which hosts the annual LIFE (LPGA Pros in the Fight to Eradicate Breast Cancer) Event, a charity golf event featuring the greatest women golfers in the world from the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour. Skinner, a 20-year veteran and multiple winner on the LPGA Tour, began the Val Skinner Foundation and annual LIFE Event in memory of her LPGA touring professional and close friend, Heather Farr, who was diagnosed with breast cancer at 24 in 1989 and died of the disease in 1993 at the age of 28. The LIFE Event has raised a remarkable $2.5 million for breast cancer awareness with a focus on young women.
"Taking the Young Women's Initiative directly to college campuses is crucial to helping the younger female audience understand the importance of committing now to a life of positive breast health. Many young women believe ‘it can't happen to me' when it comes to breast cancer," said Val Skinner. "Having lost a dear friend at such a young age to breast cancer, I am passionate about arming young women with the tools that could save their lives as we all work to find a cure for this disease. Enabling the Komen Foundation to extend its reach to young women through this college tour is a powerful step in that effort."
On the Way to the Cure™ - The Komen College Tour will visit the following campuses:
- Sept. 13 - Rutgers University (New Brunswick, NJ)
- Sept. 14 - Penn State (University Park, PA)
- Sept. 15 - Morgan State University (Baltimore, MD)
- Sept. 16 - Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, VA)
- Sept. 17-18 - North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC) including a North Carolina State University home football game
- Sept. 20 - University of South Carolina (Columbia, SC)
- Sept. 21 - Spelman College (Atlanta, GA)
- Sept. 22 - Florida State University (Tallahassee, FL)
- Sept. 23 - University of Alabama at Birmingham (Birmingham, AL)
- Sept. 24 - Jackson State University (Jackson, MS)
For information about breast cancer and to learn more about On the Way to the Cure™ - The Komen College Tour, including site specifics, visit www.komen.org/college.
About the Komen Foundation
The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation was established in 1982 by Nancy Brinker to honor the memory of her sister, Susan G. Komen, who died from breast cancer at the age of 36. Today, the Foundation is an international organization with a network of more than 75,000 volunteers working through local Affiliates and events like the Komen Race for the Cure® to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease. A global leader in the fight against breast cancer, the Foundation fulfills its mission through support of innovative breast cancer research grants, meritorious awards and educational, scientific and community outreach programs around the world. Together with its Affiliate Network, corporate partners and generous donors, the Komen Foundation has raised more than $740 million for the fight against breast cancer.
For more information about breast health or breast cancer, visit the Foundation's award-winning Web site at www.komen.org or call the Foundation's National Toll-Free Breast Care Helpline at 1.800 I'M AWARE® (1.800.462.9273).
About the Val Skinner Foundation
LPGA Tour Professional Val Skinner created the Val Skinner Foundation in 2000 to raise funds for breast cancer research and awareness. Since 2000, the Foundation's primary fundraiser is the LIFE (LPGA Pros in the Fight to Eradicate Breast Cancer) Event. Featuring LPGA stars, this pro-am tournament has raised more than $2.5 million for its benefactors, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey. The funds have helped to establish the LIFE Center at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, located near the campus of Rutgers University. The LIFE Center is a multidisciplinary team of breast cancer experts that serves as a laboratory for the development and evaluation of novel educational tools and strategies for the education of young women and healthcare professionals.
