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Cancer-fighting non-profit cancels 2017 Phoenix race
Breast-cancer non-profit Susan G. Komen Arizona will close in July because of dwindling donations and event participation. October’s Phoenix Race for the Cure, which would have been the group’s 25th, has been canceled.
Breast-cancer non-profit Susan G. Komen Arizona will close in July because of dwindling donations and event participation, the organization announced on Wednesday.
The 2017 Phoenix Race for the Cure, an annual run sponsored by the organization that raises money for breast-cancer research, was canceled because of the decision. This October’s race would have been the organization’s 25th in Phoenix.
Declining participation in that event, and an overall drop in donations to the organization, led to the decision. Funds raised from the 5K race and other efforts go toward grants to help support breastcancer education, screening, research and diagnostics.
The organization said all registration checks and fees submitted to the foundation for the race will be refunded.
Executive Director Christina Mencuccini said 7,500 people ran in the 2016 Race for the Cure, a number significantly lower than in previous years, which at one time saw upward of 30,000
participants.
Mencuccini attributes the lower participation and donations to the fact that Arizona’s weather permits many organizations to hold races and outdoor fundraising events.
“We’re competing for the same donors, sponsors, volunteers and participants,” Mencuccini said. “It’s a very competitive marketplace, especially here in Arizona where we have more than one season of 5K events.”
The national Susan G. Komen organization faced controversy in 2012 when it announced that it would stop giving grants to Planned Parenthood to fund breast-cancer screenings.
The decision was quickly reversed, but the controversy caused contributions to Susan G. Komen to drop by 22 percent in the following year, USA TODAY reported in 2014.
An organization spokeswoman said donations dropped from about $164 million in the fiscal year ending in March 2012 to $128 million in the year ending March 2013, according to the USA TODAY report.
The controversy also prompted several executives to leave the organization and caused fewer people to participate in its events nationwide.
The organization cancelled half of its three-day charity walks in 2014, including in Phoenix, because of the drop in participation.
The organization will end its Arizona operations
“This is a near and dear cause for each person who is involved in this, and we all have personal stories that brought us to Komen. It’s unfortunate that this is where we are today, but it’s also understandable given the landscape.” CHRISTINA MENCUCCINI EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SUSAN G. KOMEN ARIZONA
on July 31, which the statement said coincides with the end of their affiliation agreement with the larger Susan G. Komen foundation.
Mencuccini said closing the affiliate was “not an abrupt decision” and that its leaders researched and discussed their options with the national headquarters and its board of directors before making the decision.
“It is very sad,” Mencuccini said. “This is a near and dear cause for each person who is involved in this, and we all have personal stories that brought us to Komen. It’s unfortunate that this is where we are today, but it’s also understandable given the landscape.”
The organization has been the largest private grantor of breast-cancer funds in Arizona.
Susan G. Komen Arizona has contributed more than $26 million to breastcancer awareness and prevention efforts in Arizona since 1993, according to an April press release from the organization.
It additionally has raised more than $9 million for local and national research, $4.4 million of which was awarded in 19 Arizona research grants alone, the organization said.
Nate Lowrie is CEO of the Maricopa Health Foundation, a non-profit that’s benefited from Komen grants for more than 10 years.
Lowrie said he was thankful for the years of support from Komen, which he said has been in the form of annual grants that have ranged from $50,000 to $500,000.
Lowrie said he’s confident his organization will be able to continue helping its patients, most of whom are in the late stages of cancer, even though it will be taking a hit by not having the Komen grants.
“We live in a great city with a lot of people with huge hearts,” Lowrie said. “We’ll go out and make sure that we’re always here to serve them in this critical time of need.”
Susan G. Komen Arizona said Arizona residents can still access resources from Susan G. Komen’s national help line or through its official website. Susan G. Komen Arizona will continue to support local organizations until it officially ends operations.
“Our focus now through July 31 is to maximize the available funds granted to local organizations, and to support the communities we serve during this transition,” the non-profit said.