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A community effort
Susan G. Komen O.C. celebrates the 20th annual Race for the Cure.
by caitline adamsPublished: September 01, 2011
This month, thousands of mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, cousins, nieces, wives and their male counterparts will take a stand against breast cancer as the Orange County affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure presents its annual Race for the Cure on Sept. 25 in Newport Beach.
The upcoming event, held each year at Fashion Island, is the O.C. affiliate’s largest annual fundraiser event; six weeks to go before Race Day, fundraising by registered teams had already topped $200,000. That enthusiasm is also reflected in the annual turnout.
“On average, we have about 27,000 people who register to participate in the race,” says Marie Cammack, the Race for the Cure chair at Susan G. Komen O.C. “We also have a few thousand volunteers, and based on city officials and police … about 30,000 people that come out the day of [the race]. That’s including the volunteers, organizers and all of the people involved.”
Corporate partnerships are another important aspect of fundraising at the annual event; this year, 39 corporate and local businesses are participating at seven sponsorship levels. Apart from the contributions that businesses bring to the fundraising efforts, they also play a key role through in-kind sponsorship and by underwriting production costs, says Cammack.
Sue Parks, president of Komen O.C.’s board of directors, agreed that a strong relationship with the community is key to an organization’s ability to effectively cultivate partnerships with local businesses and foundations.
“As far as the corporations, I think the staff and volunteers really take the time to understand what’s important to the different foundations in the community and help design what works for them,” Parks says. “Companies approach [their contributions] in different ways, but it’s a strategic approach, and they appreciate how impactful their dollars are. I think that’s very important.”
This year, a Race Registration Suite will be open at 3323-G Hyland Ave., at the SoCo Collection in Costa Mesa. For hours and additional race information, go to komenoc.org/race.
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The upcoming event, held each year at Fashion Island, is the O.C. affiliate’s largest annual fundraiser event; six weeks to go before Race Day, fundraising by registered teams had already topped $200,000. That enthusiasm is also reflected in the annual turnout. “On average, we have about 27,000 people who register to participate in the race,” says Marie Cammack, the Race for the Cure chair at Susan G. Komen O.C. “We also have a few thousand volunteers, and based on city officials and police … about 30,000 people that come out the day of [the race]. That’s including the volunteers, organizers and all of the people involved.” Corporate partnerships are another important aspect of fundraising at the annual event; this year, 39 corporate and local businesses are participating at seven sponsorship levels. Apart from the contributions that businesses bring to the fundraising efforts, they also play a key role through in-kind sponsorship and by underwriting production costs, says Cammack. Sue Parks, president of Komen O.C.’s board of directors, agreed that a strong relationship with the community is key to an organization’s ability to effectively cultivate partnerships with local businesses and foundations. “As far as the corporations, I think the staff and volunteers really take the time to understand what’s important to the different foundations in the community and help design what works for them,” Parks says. “Companies approach [their contributions] in different ways, but it’s a strategic approach, and they appreciate how impactful their dollars are. I think that’s very important.” This year, a Race Registration Suite will be open at 3323-G Hyland Ave., at the SoCo Collection in Costa Mesa. For hours and additional race information, go to komenoc.org/race. |
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