— FORT WORTH – Susan G. Komen Greater Fort Worth Affiliate announced the organization granted $900,000 to 10 local organizations dedicated to ending breast cancer in Tarrant, Parker, Johnson and Hood counties.

2013 grantees were honored during the Fifth Annual Anamaria Diaz Shaw Grant Awards Breakfast at Ridglea Country Club in Fort Worth on Jan. 8.

This year’s grantees include: All Saints Health Foundation Joan Katz Breast Center at Baylor All Saints Medical Center, Bridge Breast Network, Cancer Assistance Fund of North Texas, Cancer Care Services, Huguley Memorial Medical Center, UT Southwestern/Moncrief Cancer Institute, Muslim Community Center for Human Services, The JPS Foundation, Tarrant County Public Health and Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth.

“These 10 deserving organizations work to fulfill the Komen mission and the Komen promise to end breast cancer forever every day,” said Ann Greenhill, Komen Greater Fort Worth Executive Director. “Through our grants, we strive to make an impact on the local community and fund organizations that provide services to uninsured and underinsured individuals that literally save lives, right here at home.”

Through these grants, individuals in the Greater Fort Worth Affiliate area (Tarrant, Parker, Johnson and Hood counties) will receive needed breast cancer treatment and screenings. In addition, grants will fund prevention and education projects, raising breast cancer awareness in the community.

“We know from a very detailed community profile what the needs are within the greater Fort Worth area in regard to breast cancer education, screening and treatment,” said Greenhill. “We took a very close look at those needs and applied the funds to fulfill our promise in smart, strategic ways.”

The Komen Greater Fort Worth Affiliate is able to make this significant contribution to education, detection and treatment initiatives for men and women battling breast cancer through community donations, fundraisers and their largest source of income, the annual Komen Greater Fort Worth Race for the Cure®. Seventy-five percent of the net funds raised through Susan G. Komen for the Cure Greater Fort Worth Affiliate stay in the organization’s four county service area, with the remaining 25 percent earmarked for national breast cancer research programs. In the affiliate’s first 20 years, more than $21 million dollars have been raised for the cause locally.

The breakfast program featured keynote speaker Lauren Groves. Groves has been with Susan G. Komen for six years, first starting as the Community Outreach Coordinator for the Florida Suncoast Affiliate in St. Petersburg, Florida and most recently as a Program Manager for the Community Health department within Komen Headquarters. Groves assisted with the development and implementation of Komen’s first online grant management system and now works with Affiliates to establish grant-making strategies and best practices.

About Susan G. Komen and the Greater Fort Worth Affiliate

Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the global leader of the breast cancer movement, has invested more than $1.9 billion in research and life-saving community programs since its inception in 1982, and is the only breast cancer organization with a comprehensive approach that touches research, advocacy and community support. Thanks to events like the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, and generous contributions from partners, sponsors and fellow supporters, Susan G. Komen for the Cure has become the largest source in the world of non-profit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer.

The Greater Fort Worth Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure is one of 123 national affiliates of the parent organization. Chartered in July of 1992 by Rozanne Rosenthal, in honor of her close friend and three-time breast-cancer-survivor Joan Katz, the Greater Fort Worth Affiliate uses 75 percent of all money raised to fund treatment and prevention projects for women in Tarrant, Parker, Johnson and Hood counties.

The first Komen Greater Fort Worth Race for the Cure was held in 1993 and had 1,800 participants. Today, the organization boasts more than 14,000 participants each year, and serves as the largest 5K Race in the county.

To date, Komen Greater Fort Worth has raised more than $17 million for breast cancer treatment, prevention and research. For more information on Komen Greater Fort Worth, visit www.komengreaterfw.org.