Susan G. Komen for The Cure® Receives Charity Navigator's Coveted Four-Star Rating for Fourth Year i

Komen for the Cure “Outperforms Most Other Charities in America,” Sound Fiscal Management Cited by America’s Leading Charity Evaluator.

[USPRwire, Mon Sep 06 2010] Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, global leader in the breast cancer movement, has received Charity Navigator’s highest rating – four stars – for the fourth consecutive year. With this rating, Komen for the Cure becomes one of only 9 percent of the approximately 5,400 charities that Charity Navigator evaluates which has received at least four straight 4-star ratings.

“Achieving Charity Navigator’s highest rating for fiscal soundness is an incredible achievement for even one year during these economic times,” said Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker, Komen’s founder and CEO. “But to garner this rating four consecutive years is a true testament to the hard work of our entire Susan G. Komen for the Cure family. My gratitude also goes out to our Affiliates, our volunteers and our staff, who have proven once again to be responsible stewards of our contributors’ money as everyone continues to try to fulfill our promise of saving lives and ending breast cancer forever.”

Komen San Diego is currently raising funds through the 14th Annual Komen San Diego Race for the Cure®, which will be held Sunday, November 7, 2010. Up to 75 percent of the funds raised at the Komen San Diego Race for the Cure® remain here in San Diego to provide breast health research, diagnostics, screening, treatment, services and education for uninsured or underinsured women. The remaining 25 percent goes to fund national research to discover the causes of breast cancer and, ultimately, its cures.

This most recent four-star rating from the nation’s largest and most relied-upon evaluator of charities assures thousands of San Diegans that Susan G. Komen for the Cure continues to excel in managing its finances and their donations.

“As the nonprofit sector continues to grow at an unprecedented pace, savvy donors are demanding more accountability, transparency and quantifiable results from the charities they choose to support with their hard-earned dollars,” wrote Charity Navigator President and CEO Ken Berger in a letter to Komen announcing the latest evaluation. “Only 9 percent of the charities we rate have received at least four consecutive 4-star evaluations, indicating that Susan G. Komen for the Cure consistently executes its mission in a fiscally responsible way, and outperforms most other charities in America. This “exceptional” designation from Charity Navigator differentiates Susan G. Komen for the Cure from its peers and demonstrates to the public it is worthy of their trust.”

Visit Charity Navigator’s Web site for more details about Komen for the Cure’s rating and for how Susan G. Komen for the Cure compares with other breast cancer organizations and institutes.

For additional information about the San Diego Race for the Cure® or Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, please visit the national Web site at www.komen.org, or the San Diego Affiliate Web site at www.komensandiego.org. San Diegans can sign up for the November 7, 2010, San Diego Race for the Cure® on the San Diego Affiliate Web site, or by calling In Motion at (760) 692-2900.

Why is the Race for the Cure® so important to San Diego County?
Since launching the breast cancer movement more than 30 years ago, Komen for the Cure has transformed the culture – bringing breast cancer out of the closet – changing the way the world talks about and treats this devastating disease. During the journey, it was often controversial and considered inappropriate to discuss diseases of the breast openly. We’ve come a long way – but we face new challenges. Here in San Diego County, many underserved women find breast cancer at a later and more aggressive stage and have a higher mortality rate. Still others have lost their jobs and can’t afford medical insurance. All of this is compounded by the California state budget crisis which forced the closure of the only free mammogram program open to women in this state. So, we’re doubling our efforts here at Komen San Diego to do what we can to raise additional funds. We raise funds primarily through the Race for the Cure®.

About Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, San Diego
Since its inception in 1995, $8.5 million has been given to local organizations that provide breast cancer education, screening, diagnostics, treatment and patient support for the uninsured or underinsured in San Diego County. Seventy-five percent of every dollar raised through Affiliate-sponsored events stays right here in San Diego County to fund free diagnostic mammograms, treatment and services for uninsured and underinsured women and their families. The remaining 25 percent funds international breast cancer research. In fact, next to the U.S. government, Susan G. Komen for the Cure® is the largest funder of breast cancer research in the world. For more information, please visit www.komensandiego.org.

Did you know?
One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.
The most significant risk factors are being a female and getting older.
Breast cancer doesn’t discriminate.
Breast cancer typically strikes women during their most productive years, both professionally and personally.
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in U.S. women ages 40-59.
Men can get breast cancer, too. One percent of breast cancer diagnosis will be in male patients.

Press Contact:
Rachel Wiley
Olive PR Solutions, Inc.
350 W. Ash St. #103
San Diego, Ca. 92101
619-955-5285
rachel@oliveprsolutions.com
http://www.komensandiego.org