[SAVANNAH, Ga. – April 5, 2011] – Determined to save lives and end breast cancer forever, the Coastal Georgia Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® has awarded 10 grants totaling almost $250,000 to programs providing breast cancer services in the coastal Georgia area.

“We are extremely pleased to be able to lend financial support in terms of grant funding to organizations right here in southeast Georgia that are working every day to help stop breast cancer,” said Caroline Keller,  president of the Affiliate.

Grantees will use the funds to educate women about the importance of self breast exams, provide free mammograms for women who otherwise would not be able to afford them, and provide support to women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Grant funding is generated through a number of Affiliate fundraisers held throughout the year, the largest of which is the Susan G. Komen Savannah Race for the Cure®. The 2010 Race grossed $275,000. Funds raised from the Race allowed the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Coastal Georgia Affiliate to award grants to organizations who support breast cancer education, detection, and treatment in Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long, and McIntosh Counties. Teams and individuals can still register for the 2011 Race which will be held on Saturday, April 16. 

The Komen Coastal Georgia Affiliate is part of the 125-Affiliate network of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world’s largest and most progressive grassroots network fighting to end breast cancer forever. The Affiliates are the face and voice of Komen for the Cure’s global breast cancer movement in communities around the world. Through local events and activities, the Komen Coastal Georgia Affiliate mobilizes and educates thousands of community members while raising funds to support community-based breast cancer programs.

In order to ensure it is funding programs that address the specific unmet breast cancer needs of the coastal Georgia community, the Komen Coastal Georgia Affiliate works with local health care professionals and community leaders to conduct a comprehensive community needs assessment. This community profile, a standard practice of all Komen Affiliates, is then used to establish a local grant application and review process consistent with the organization’s standards and mission.

Last year, Susan G. Komen for the Cure Affiliates—working in concert with local organizations—awarded more than $80 million in needs-based community grants. That's in addition to the 25 percent of their income that Affiliates contribute toward the many millions the organization invests each year in promising research.