History

Susan G. Komen fought breast cancer with her heart, body and soul. Throughout her diagnosis, treatments, and endless days in the hospital, she spent her time thinking of ways to make life better for other women battling breast cancer instead of worrying about her own situation. Moved by Susan’s compassion for others and commitment to making a difference, Nancy G. Brinker promised her sister that she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer.

Though Susan lost her battle with the disease, her legacy lives on through the work of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, the organization Nancy started in her honor. Komen for the Cure is the global leader of the breast cancer movement, having invested more than $1.9 billion since its inception in 1982. Komen’s promise is to save lives and end breast cancer forever by empowering people, ensuring quality care for all and energizing science to find the cures.
Across the country, that promise is upheld by a network of 121 local Affiliate offices. At the heart of each Affiliate is a person or group of people who, like Susan, wanted to make a difference.

Louisville Affiliate History

In 1997 the first Susan G. Komen Louisville Race for the Cure® was held hosted by the Junior League.  In 1999 the Louisville Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® was founded and has seen steady growth since its inception. This growth was made possible thanks to hundreds of dedicated volunteers who work tirelessly to spread the message of our organization to the community. In 2005, the Komen Louisville Affiliate hired their first staff member, today the staff has expanded to two full-time and one part-time.  The Affiliate is proud to have contributed over $4 million dollars to community breast health education, screening, and treatment programs and over $1.4 million dollars to breast cancer research during our history.  In 2011 we added 7 additional counties to the already existing 8 county service area, bringing our service area to 15 counties.  

The Komen Louisville Affiliate’s services area encompasses a 15-county area including Jefferson, Bullitt, Hardin, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer, Breckinridge, Meade, Nelson, Grayson, Larue counties in Kentucky and Floyd, Scott, Harrison and Clark counties in Indiana.  Thanks to the thousands of people who participant in the Susan G. Komen Louisville Race for the Cure® and other Affiliate events each year, dedicated corporate partners and generous donors, Komen Louisville is playing a vital role in fighting breast cancer in Kentuckiana.