Komen St. Louis’ 2014 Corporate Partner of the Year: Schnuck Markets, Inc.

The support of our corporate and community partners throughout the year is so important as we fulfill our promise to save lives and end breast cancer forever. Such support and sponsorship helps ensure that more funds can go directly to the fight against breast cancer.

Joanie Taylor, Schnucks’ Director of Consumer Affairs, accepted the Komen St. Louis Corporate Partner of the Year Award on behalf of Todd Schnuck and the Schnucks organization.

At our 5^th Annual Power of a Promise luncheon, we presented the Komen St. Louis 2014 Corporate Partner of the Year Award to Schnuck Markets, Inc. Schnucks has supported Komen St. Louis as a sponsor every year since our inaugural Komen St. Louis Race for the Cure in 1999.

Schnucks employees have always gone above and beyond for Komen St. Louis and the Komen St. Louis Race. They take delivery of Race collateral at their warehouse. They volunteer their time on Friday night before the Race to move and unload T-shirts and on Saturday morning to move and unload water for Race participants. They are there by 3:30 a.m. on Race morning to greet the first arrivals on the Race site. Their employees volunteer in the Survivor Pavilion, serving breakfast to hundreds of breast cancer survivors.

This sense of community support and philanthropy starts at the top with their leader, Todd Schnuck. In fact, he fine-tuned our Team T-shirt pick-up at the Schnucks Distribution Center to help us avoid traffic jams and keep the process flowing smoothly.

Komen St. Louis Executive Director Helen Chesnut presents the Corporate Volunteer of the Year Award to Schnucks employees John Jones and Kevin Redell

At our Power of a Promise luncheon, we also recognized the individual efforts of two Schnucks employees, presenting both of them with our Komen St. Louis 2014 Corporate Volunteer of the Year Award. John Jones and Kevin Redell give so much of their time and are a tremendous help to us before, during and after the Komen St. Louis Race.

Thank you, Todd Schnuck, John Jones, Kevin Redell and the Schnucks organization! We appreciate your continued support and partnership.

Komen St. Louis’ 2014 Community Partner of the Year: Christian Hospital’s Protecting and Healing Women Program

Susan G. Komen St. Louis’ community grants support breast cancer screening, education and patient navigation services not otherwise available to underserved individuals in our 17-county service area.

Our grant recipients are community partners in our year-round mission to save lives and end breast cancer.

At our 5^th Annual Power of a Promise event, we presented the 2014 Komen St. Louis Community Partner of the Year Award to one of our grantees, Christian Hospital’s Protecting and Healing Women Program.

Patricia Polk (center) with Komen St. Louis Board Member Lillie Thomas and Executive Director Helen Chesnut

Hundreds of uninsured and underserved women have been cared for through this program with the help of Komen St. Louis funding.

The program provides women in need with screening and diagnostic mammograms. Patricia Polk and her outreach staff also help navigate patients through the process of additional testing and treatment as needed.

The Protecting and Healing Women program is heavily invested in the community, with a focus on reaching out to women facing hardships such as unemployment and lack of transportation or child care.

This is the seventh year of Komen St. Louis funding for this program.

Congratulations to Patricia and the program team! Thank you for all you do every day.

Komen St. Louis’ 2014 Health Professional of the Year: Theresa Taylor

Komen St. Louis is fortunate to work with so many dedicated health care professionals who deliver quality breast health and breast cancer services to individuals in our community.

Theresa Taylor (center) with Komen St. Louis Board Member Lillie Thomas and Executive Director Helen Chesnut

At our Power of a Promise luncheon, we presented our 2014 Health Professional of the Year Award to one such dedicated person, Theresa Taylor.

Theresa is Outreach Coordinator at the Breast HealthCare Center at Missouri Baptist Medical Center.

Theresa goes the extra mile to help as many women as she can make the connection to lifesaving breast health and breast cancer services. She does this figuratively and literally – driving many miles to make sure women in rural areas get the mammograms they need.

Theresa is a gentle voice of authority when speaking with a woman who is worried about “the lump” and has no insurance.

She is a two-time breast cancer survivor herself, the mother of two sons, and is training for her 4^th Komen 3-Day walk event. Clearly, she has a personal commitment to the cause.

Congratulations and thank you, Theresa!

The Race Goes On!

Just one month ago, tens of thousands of people came together to Race for a World Without Breast Cancer at the 2014 Komen St. Louis Race for the Cure.

You can still make an impact in the local fight against breast cancer through post-Race registrations, donations and fundraising through July 31, 2014.

The more money raised means more mammograms, breast health education and breast cancer patient navigation in the greater St. Louis region.

With your help, we can help more individuals in our community gain access to quality breast health care.

Register, make a donation or fundraise to support the 2014 Komen St. Louis Race.

Komen St. Louis’ 2014 Young Philanthropist of the Year: Jessica Kuca

Our community benefits from so many individuals and groups who are dedicated to the fight against breast cancer. We’ve seen a lot of creative, personal ways to generate awareness and raise funds to help save lives and end breast cancer.

We are particularly inspired by the younger philanthropists among us who are making an impact in our mission so early in their lives.

Komen St. Louis Executive Director Helen Chesnut with Jessica Kuca, 2014 Young Philanthropist of the Year

At our 2014 Power of a Promise luncheon, we presented our 2014 Komen St. Louis Young Philanthropist Award to one dedicated young girl in our community, Jessica Kuca.

For the past six years, Jessica has organized a lemonade stand for charity, allocating part of the proceeds to Komen St. Louis.

Over these past six years, Jessica has raised nearly $8,500 for local breast health programs and breast cancer research funded by Komen St. Louis.

She is proof that you’re never too young to make a positive impact in your community.

Thank you, Jessica! (We love your sparkly pink dress and your sparkling personality!)

Komen St. Louis’ 2014 Volunteer of the Year: Kim Naumann

At Komen St. Louis, we truly appreciate our volunteers, who devote their time and their passion to the fight against breast cancer throughout the year.

The recipient of the 2014 Komen St. Louis Volunteer of the Year Award is someone who provides invaluable, year-round volunteer service.

Kim Naumann, Komen St. Louis’ 2014 Volunteer of the Year

Kim Naumann began her involvement with our organization by participating in the second Komen St. Louis Race for the Cure and then forming a Race team the next year in support of a coworker.

A few years later, wanting to do more to support the Komen mission, she volunteered to contribute her particular skill sets.

Ever since then, she has served Komen St. Louis as our key website manager and IT volunteer.

In addition to helping us almost every day, Kim goes beyond this volunteer role by serving on committees for Komen St. Louis events, including the Race for the Cure Steering Committee, Spare Nothing for the Cure and Power of a Promise.

It was a pleasure to present this award to Kim at our 5^th Annual Power of a Promise luncheon in May.

Thank you, Kim!