Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Awards More Than $1.4 Million
in 2008-2009 Grants
Breast Friends receives $30,000 grant

Portland, Ore. — May 9, 2008 — Expecting to aid tens of thousands of women and men in Oregon and SW Washington who are medically underserved, the Oregon & SW Washington Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® is awarding more than $1.4 million in grants this year to local organizations who provide breast cancer education, screening and support services. Funding for these programs comes from the Komen Portland Race for the Cure®, individual giving, corporate partners and other area fundraisers.

The Komen Oregon & SW Washington® Affiliate has awarded a total of $678,619 in Community Outreach & Education and Transportation Grants to provide services to more than 21,000 medically underserved men and women who face challenges such as language and cultural barriers, financial difficulties and transportation issues. Komen Grantees also provide support to survivors and people who are undergoing breast cancer treatment. Komen Grant programs serve diverse populations including Native Americans, Asians, Latinas and Russians, as well as rural communities. Thanks to the generosity of Safeway, their customers and employees, this year Komen was able to fund twelve local community organizations using proceeds from Safeway's Statewide October Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign.

Breast Friends recognizes the impact that breast cancer has not only survivors, but on their friends and family members as well. The organization works to provide support to both survivors and co-survivors, through programs that address the needs of the patient during treatment and afterward, while also educating the patient's family members and friends on what they can do to be of help to their loved one while going through the cancer journey.

Through years of personal and organizational experience, Breast Friends has learned that people often don't know how to offer effective help. Breast Friends addresses this issue by offering practical tips, treatment information videos, and support groups tailored to address the issues that co-survivors face. By providing support to both the survivor and co-survivor, Breast Friends not only helps meet the needs of the patient during treatment, but educates the co-survivor on how they can better support their loved one through the difficult journey from treatment to survivorship.

Of the $1.4M, the Affiliate granted $780,000 to the Oregon Breast and Cervical Cancer Program and the Washington Breast and Cervical Health Program. These two state administered screening programs serve low-income, uninsured or underinsured women over age 40, providing mammograms and other diagnostic services. Komen also has funded a special program in its service area for women younger than 40 years of age with breast cancer symptoms.

"The medically underserved population of Oregon and SW Washington is vast," said
Christine McDonald, Executive Director, the Oregon and SW Washington Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®. "Komen Community Partners make it possible for us to effectively communicate the message of early detection, support, and hope to the people we serve throughout Oregon and SW Washington. Without our Komen Community Partners, we simply couldn't reach those most in need. These organizations are to be celebrated for their outstanding work in the fight against breast cancer."

More than 182,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed among women in the United States this year, and the Pacific Northwest has the highest rate of breast cancer in the country. The disease exerts an enormous impact on families, workplaces and the health care system. If detected at its earliest stage, women have a greater than 98% five-year survival rate.
rate.