Comments

By Komen Denver, January 18, 2010 9:12 pm

“Power consists in one’s capacity to link his will with the purpose of others, to lead by reason and a gift cooperation” - President Woodrow Wilson

Michele Ostrander, executive director of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Denver Metropolitan Affiliate was recently named one of Denver’s most influential people by 5280 Magazine. Ostrander is in some pretty impressive company (deservedly so!). The list includes Denver Mayor, John Hickenlooper, U.S. Congresswoman Diana DeGette and Denver Nuggets Carmelo Anthony. Congratulations, Michele!! Check it out here: “The 5280 Fifty”.

Comments

By Komen Denver, October 6, 2009 11:32 am

With nearly 54,000 people participating in the 2009 Komen Denver Race for the Cure, we only get glimpses into their stories with their t-shirts, signs and smiles. We wanted to share some of the blog recaps about the Race for the Cure because it gives insight into why we race, and who these participants are (especially the guy running in pink body paint!) We hope you enjoy their stories as much as we do.

Jenn brought her grandmother Audrey, a breast cancer survivor of 34 years. As Jen says, “I was so amazed to see how many people went out of their way to tell her thank you, or to tell her how much courage she gave them.” Micah Sneed met his fundraising goal for the Race, and thus, had to complete the Race in pink body paint. Check his blog to see the proof. Linda ran in honor of her sister Brenda, a breast cancer survivor. As she says, “Bottom line, my sister has taught me how to LIVE.” Andrea ran on behalf of her co-worker Roberta, who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Their team raised $760! Joy ran in celebration of her Grandma Swartz (BC survivor since 1985) and Rebecca Wertz (her Pastor’s wife, who just conquered her 2nd round of BC).

Lorri, a breast cancer survivor, participated along with Lorri’s Lovely Ladies. When she participated last year, her hair was just centimeters long and is now almost to her shoulders! Heather started training for the Race, which was a major accomplishment after undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer earlier this year. Her recap is a sweet testament to fortitude, friendship and family support. Her friend Sonja was the first female finisher in the Race. Sonja ran with a shaved head, which was in honor of her friend Amy, who is currently battling breast cancer. Read her full recap at Mile High Mamas.

Sarah and her friend have been doing the Race together for six years despite having babies and not living in the same state together. Preston and Paty participated for the third year with a new little one on the way! Jen raced with her sister Jamie! Jamie raced with her mom and Hannah. Cece said, “Every year I am in awe of the amount of people who are trying to make a difference.” Mia woke up at 6:30 am to make the Race. The Life of A Little Hippie participated in the Race again with friends and family. Amy, a breast cancer survivor, raised her fundraising goal to $1,000!

One blogger did Sleep In For the Cure and her mother is a 15-year survivor. As she said, “If she had not been so good about going to her regular annual check-ups and mammograms, it could have cost her her life.”

Comments

By Komen Denver, September 9, 2009 7:39 am

Do you have a team yet for Race for the Cure? So far, more than 790 teams have been created.

To create a team, you’ll need 10 or more people to pre-register for the Race as a group. We encourage all teams to choose a catchy team name and create a team page to track how much money you raise as a group and individually. You also get chances to win team prizes!

Your Team members don’t have to participate in the same event on Race day. Team members can choose the event in which they want to participate. They can participate in the 5K Run, 5K Walk or even Sleep In for the Cure®!

Check out the team overview for more information! And if you’re looking for some name inspiration, check out some of these fun names below!

• Amber’s Rack Pack
• Annabelle’s Breast Friends
• CoCo’s Twin Peaks Crusaders
• Deb’s Hummers
• DENVER POST DEADLINE DIVAS
• Denver ZooMers
• Itty Bitty Titty Committee
• Jacqueline’s Fembots and Friends
• Julie’s Jewels
• MillerCoors BREW GOLDEN
• Milk Mamas
• Pinktastic
• Pirates of the Cure-abbean
• RE-joice for the Cure
• Save 2nd Base!
• Xceleracers
• North Campus Knockers

Comments

By Komen Denver, August 18, 2009 10:18 am

In 2005 the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Denver Affiliate created a program for young women to increase awareness about the  importance of breast health. This program is known as the Young Women’s Program. The program was also created to educate young women of the importance of early detection of breast cancer in women ages 18 – 34. The mission of the Young Women’s Program is to — educate and empower young women to take an active role in their own breast health, by reaching out to them through outlets which play a major role in their life.

There are four main focus areas of the young Women’s Program. They include Komen Konversations, College Outreach, Information Distribution to Spas and Boutiques, and Bookmark Distribution.

The Komen Konversation’s piece provides educational opportunities to marginalized and hard to reach ethnic communities including the African-American, Asian, and Latina communities in various settings within our 12-county service area (e.g. in homes, businesses, places of worship, etc.). Volunteers are trained to teach, contact and locate venues, and host culturally sensitive breast health and breast cancer education sessions in the community.

The focus for the outreach to colleges encompasses collaborating with college health centers, health fairs, and student organizations to get breast health information into colleges and to educate students on breast health. This program is very similar to Komen Konversations but will focus on the college campuses in our community.

The Distribution to Boutiques & Spas program focuses on distributing breast health information and other breast materials to select businesses in our service area; preferably to small, independently owned boutiques and spas which target younger women.  The information is displayed on counters, windows, and/or fitting rooms to educate customers on breast health.

The idea behind the Bookmark Distribution is very simple. The Denver Affiliate can order free bookmarks through Komen National. The bookmarks are distributed to local libraries, including those on college campuses and in underserved communities, on an ongoing basis throughout the year (quarterly). Also bookmarks could be distributed to small, locally owned bookstores in our service area.

To learn more about the Young Women’s Program or to become a volunteer, please contact Amarilis Viera-Simoes,
Director of Education & Marketing, at 303.744.2088 ext. 302 or AViera@komendenver.org.

Comments

By Komen Denver, July 24, 2009 10:29 am

-Valentina Garcia, MomsLikeMe.com

Through life we meet people in the craziest ways, sometimes it’s fate, chance or in some cases in today’s society a Web site.

Momslikeme.com has brought thousands of mothers together in the metro area and charitable women are no exception. When the Web site launched nearly a year ago, I took action and signed us up for the Komen Denver Race For the Cure. I insisted we would be a charitable group of women and our team would be great! I wanted us to join in the fight.

It was harder than I thought.

We had a humble team of about 15 women, still I was ecstatic. It was weeks before the Race and I didn’t put any expectations on fundraising nor did I have a plan. One day I checked our team website and low and behold 1,000! “What?” I thought to myself. I couldn’t believe it; these women were on a roll. With nearly 3 weeks before the race, no real fundraising plan, Team Momslikeme.com managed to raise nearly $1,800. We walked, we had a great time and we fought for a cure. During the walk, I was already looking ahead to 2009.

What a difference a year makes

I wasn’t surprised when a group of moms approached me about starting a Komen 3 Day team. Six of them would work diligently to raise their individual funds, coming up with the most creative of ideas for their team.

I’ve learned a lot from these women and their tenacity and I’m grateful as they have shared their ideas with others.

Their fundraising began with their team name and next they tapped into their creative talents. Naming the team would come from their community. They started a naming contest and thus Team Momslikeme.com Save 2nd Base was born. The women have come up with creative ways to raise money for their team. Flip Flops for the Cure, Moms Night Out For the Cure and Smiles for a Cure.

Jenna Schaffer, the team captain quickly took charge and jumped into action. From her seamless execution to her creative juices, Jenna was on a role. I asked Jenna last week at our Moms Night Out for A Cure (another brainchild of Save 2nd Base) event to come up with some thoughts on fundraising. Here is what she had to say.

“Once you tap out your family and close friends it’s time to get creative. I’d once made ribbon flip flops as end of the year gifts for teachers and had a lot of fun with it so I started making a few pair as a thank you to my donors. I love making them and blending ribbon patterns and colors. I even got lucky enough to find “pink ribbon” ribbon! My full basket of flip-flops started garnering so much attention that I tend to take it with me everywhere. It’s fun, colorful and very PINK! For each $20 donation that I receive, the donor can choose the pair of their choice. I always have 2-3 pair, per size on hand.”

In fundraising it’s important to share your successes with others and never look at failures as such. Simply learn from others or past experiences and keep on keeping on.

I’ve learned from the moms and together we’ll win. We’ll set team goals for fundraising and events. Together we will win!

We will keep Team Momslikeme.com Save 2nd Base alive and going strong as we continue to join Komen for the Cure in fighting the fight.

I’ve set our team goals higher and will ask each of our team members to ask 10 of their friends for $10! Look for an email from Save 2nd Base in your inbox soon. We’ll see you on October 4th, 2009.

Comments

By Komen Denver,

Yesterday 26 breast cancer survivors went to 9News to do promotional videos for Race for the Cure on Oct. 4, 2009. This is a snippet of what you’ll be able to see upcoming in 9News. It’s the story of Nicole Davis, a 25-year-old who was diagnosed while pregnant with her daughter Abigail. She’s still going through chemotherapy. Her story is a reminder that breast cancer hits at all ages.