Nancy G. Brinker promised her sister, Susan G. Komen, that she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever.

In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure and launched the global breast cancer movement. Today, Komen for the Cure is the world's largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. Thanks to events like the Komen Race for the Cure, we have invested nearly $1 billion to fulfill our promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world.

This story begins with one promise. One promise between two sisters. One promise to find a cure. And to seek the cure with passion and urgency and focus—until the day when breast cancer is eliminated from the face of the earth.

The Komen National Race for the Cure® is one of more than 100 Races to be held nationwide in 2008. Three million dollars of the funds raised through the 2007 Race remained in the Washington, DC, community – including metro-area counties in Virginia and Maryland – to fund outreach programs and initiatives that address the specific unmet breast health needs of the area. Washington, DC, has the highest breast cancer mortality rate in the United States. The remaining dollars support the Komen Award and Research Grant Program, which has invested more than $180 million dollars over the past 25 years in groundbreaking breast cancer research.

For information about breast health and breast cancer, please call the Foundation’s National Toll-Free Breast Care Help line at 1.877.GO KOMEN® (1-877-465-6636) or visit the Web site at www.komen.org

I AM THE CURE™ is Komen’s rallying cry, encouraging women to take an active role in their breast health—to become educated about breast cancer and understand that being aware is the first step in the process. Listen for the cheers as you walk or run the Race and join in!

To read Susan G. Komen's Story, click here.