What the SW Michigan Affiliate does

SW Michigan Affiliate

The SW Michigan Affiliate is a grass roots organization totally dependent on volunteers. Our goals are to increase awareness of breast healthcare options for everyone in southwest Michigan and to help the uninsured and underinsured community members obtain good breast healthcare.

The Affiliate raises funds throughout the year. Our primary fundraising event is the Race for the Cure® on the last Saturday in September. Some events like the BMW Ultimate Drive and Lee National Denim Day® are nationally co-sponsored. Others, such as the Dance for the Cure™, are local events.

Seventy-five percent of the funds we raise is used for local outreach breast health programs. The remaining twenty-five percent funds national breast cancer research projects for a cure.

The annual highlight is the selection of local grant recipients whose projects address the eight county service area's residents breast healthcare needs for education, screening and treatment. Local community and corporate participation in fundraising events make these grants possible.

Since the Affiliate's inception in 1996, community members are responsible for raising almost $300,000 for local grants used in southwest Michigan to fund local breast health education, screening and treatment programs. The first grant year awarded $10,000 to Calhoun County Health Department.

This year, 2002, the Affiliate awarded $100,000 to five programs: Calhoun County Health Department, Kalamazoo County Human Services Breast & Cervical Cancer Control Program, First Presbyterian Church Health Clinic, Healthy Futures African American Health Initiative and InterCare Community Health Network, Peer Outreach Program for Migrant Farmworker Women.

In addition, the Affiliate has contributed over $85,000 to the Komen Foundation's breast cancer research program.