As Susan G. Komen Oregon & Southwest Washington closes its local offices at the end of March, the organization is contributing $200,000 in legacy gifts and program seed funding to local breast cancer organizations.
Pink Lemonade Project will maintain the Metastatic Breast Cancer Dinner Series and the Treatment Access Program.
The MBC Dinner Series is a quarterly, community-building event for those living with a metastatic diagnosis. It has been held virtually during the pandemic.
Pink Lemonade Project will also maintain the Treatment Access Program, which provides gift cards for gas, lodging and food for those in breast cancer treatment across Clark, Cowlitz and Skamania counties and all Oregon counties.
NAACP Portland will continue Komen’s African American Initiative, which will address breast cancer disparities impacting the Black community, and Worship in Pink, a breast-health education program celebrating 10 years in the local faith-based community.
Northwest Family Services has agreed to lead the Latina Council, an offshoot of Komen’s Latina Initiative. Komen formed the Latina Council in order to facilitate communication and resource-sharing between local breast cancer centers and those organizations working with Latinas in the breast health arena.
Other legacy gifts have been given to Breast Friends, for their work with breast cancer survivors and fighters, and to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center to cover breast cancer screening for individuals in Southwest Washington who do not otherwise qualify for state or federal funding. Dollars restricted to breast cancer research are being forwarded to Susan G. Komen for that purpose.
Susan G. Komen will continue to have a presence in the community with national programming. It can be reached via its breast care helpline at 1-877-465-6636 or online at komen.org.
