The Denver Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® will host its Volunteer Appreciation party on March 23^rd.  To honor our dedicated volunteers, we are running a series of blog posts celebrating their spirit and generous hearts.

In loving memory of Jessie P. White, I am Victoria-Ja’net Vaughns, a Komen Denver Affiliate volunteer.

As a young child, I was the first female born into my dad’s family in over 20 years.  My dad gave me the name “Princess” and his mother (my grandmother) thought I was just that – a “Princess.”   Then, at the young age of 55 breast cancer cruelly snuffed out my grandmother’s life, depriving not only me but our entire family of a wonderful, vivacious woman and relationship. I was about 5 years old at the time, and now I have only a cherished picture and stories that have been told to me about this amazingly, courageous and strong woman.

Now, after being retired for nearly 2 years I had a desire to do something more beneficial with my leisure time. I mentioned this to Dr. Jacqueline McDaniel who could immediately recall a number of places that needed volunteers but thought of me being well suited with the Affiliate. I was basically familiar with the Affiliate and after some research I considered this as a place where I could possibly be of some service. However, after reading the ethical statistics I concluded that the Affiliate was the place where I MUST volunteer in hopes of making a difference, with a special interest in communities of color. So, on August 15, 2009, I attended orientation training and became a volunteer with the Affiliate. My first volunteer event was at Coldwater Creek, Fit for the Cure on September 13, 2009. Since then I have volunteered at Susan G. Komen Denver Race for the Cure®, where survivors, family members and friends gather to not only raise money in support of a cure for breast cancer but also to support each other and celebrate life. I have also represented Komen at the Center for African American Culture-Wearing A Crown for the Cure, the Buckley AFB Combined Federal Campaign, the Denver Regional Council of Governments, the Red Robin Health Fair, Dillard’s and Macy’s Fit for the Cure, and Komen’s second largest fund raising event, the Pink Tie Affair™. In less than a year I have had the profound pleasure and opportunity of meeting and sharing breast health information with hundreds of wonderful men and women of all ages, races, and ethnicity and I am excited each time.

In December I was asked to join the Education Committee as the African American chairperson. After prayer and consideration I happily joined and have since had a meeting at my home to discuss breast health with family and friends and solicit volunteers to assist me in our goal to reach the African American Community by sharing with them not only breast health information but also the astounding fatality rate of breast cancer among black women in comparison to others, and by opening the meeting up for dialogue of the possibilities for this difference and ways in which we might aggressively tackle the problem. From that meeting of approximately 18 women, three of them attended the next Orientation Training. Before the committee could actually be formed there was a request from the church community for a “black” volunteer to speak at an event that was held on March 6, 2010. At that event there were two men and approximately 25 women ranging in ages 14 – 64 in attendance. I am ecstatic that on March 13, 2010, a total of four energized, intelligent, phenomenal women (Jessie Carey, Julie Ann Carey, Marilyn Conner, and Sherri Delaney) have joined with me to meet the goal in the Black community.