Keeping
Promises
ANNUAL FULFILLMENT REPORT
FY 2015
Susan G. Komen – Iowa
515-309-0095
3850 Merle Hay Road, Suite 405
Des Moines, Iowa 50310
www.komeniowa.org
info@komeniowa.org
To Our Partners
Promise:
“…a statement
telling someone that
you will definitely
do something or
that something will
definitely happen in
the future.”
Our organization started with a promise. Toward the end of her life, Suzy Komen made a very
special request to her sister, Nancy Brinker. “Promise me, Nanny," she said. "Promise me you
won’t let it go on like this.” After watching her sister endure disfiguring surgery, grueling
chemotherapy and radiation, and indifference from people who couldn’t even say the words
“breast cancer” in public, Nancy promised: “I swear, Suzy. Even if it takes the rest of my life."
That promise from one sister to another has become our mission.
Throughout the Komen organization however, we don’t refer to our “mission” as much as we
do “Our Promise”. The word “Promise” means many different things but when we think about it
as synonymous with words like “Vow”, and “Oath” it sounds much more like what it should
mean - a solemn statement to do something, or to commit oneself to a purpose or cause.
At Komen Iowa, as in all of our sister Affiliates, we take that promise very seriously. It is that
promise which reminds us that we are to do all we can to empower people with information
about breast cancer, to enhance the quality of care for all who struggle with it, and to energize
science to find the cures for this terrible disease.
Last year, keeping promises took on another dimension for us at Komen Iowa. In May, 2014
Laura Salter wrote a letter to the editor of the Ottumwa Courier. Laura had been the Southeast
Iowa Race for the Cure Honorary Survivor in Ottumwa for 2013 and had written eloquently
about how the starting gun for the Race was, to her, the sound of hope. When the Ottumwa
Race was not held in 2014, Laura wrote a request that all of us at Komen Iowa took to heart.
She said, “Promise me that I will hear the sound of hope again in my hometown”.
On May 9, 2015 the Race for the Cure returned to Ottumwa. The starting gun was sounded,
and over 1400 Race participants re-affirmed that at Komen Iowa, we always keep our
promises.
The consolidation of our two Komen Affiliates is just the first step in what we hope will be many
more opportunities for communities throughout our state to help us keep the promise that
started between two sisters and continues to be our commitment to save lives and end breast
cancer forever.
Sincerely,
Greg Edwards
Board President
Roger Dahl
Executive Director
Rainbows and Storms
When you look at the image to the left, what do you see? Rainbows are one of the prettiest of
natural phenomena, but throughout human history, rainbows have taken on many important
symbolic meanings. We often think of rainbows as a sign of good fortune with the so called
“pot of gold” at the end. Rainbows have also been used as a sign of promise that the storms
which brought devastation from wind, rain and hail will soon pass.
In Iowa, we are very familiar with how fickle the weather can be. We also know the devastation
that comes from severe weather such as tornadoes and hail. The damage they inflict is
devastating and seems so arbitrary. The effects of such storms can leave people feeling lost
and hopeless.
Many of our survivors use the analogy of “…feeling like I was hit by a tornado” when they
describe what it was like to hear the news “You have breast cancer”. Fear, helplessness,
family priorities, financial concerns, insurance coverage questions all begin rushing in to
overwhelm the psyche and dishearten the spirit.
Several organizations exist to help restore the network of social support in communities
ravaged by severe storms. Others specialize in research to plan for and mitigate the damaging
effects of such storms. Still others focus on restoring the capacity of individuals and families to
help themselves through their own recovery process after a tornado or other severe weather
incident.
When breast cancer leaves people feeling like they’ve been “…hit by a tornado”, there is only
one organization that can assure support, help change perspectives from despair to hope, and
drive the research to end breast cancer forever, all at the same time. That organization is
Susan G. Komen.
“We promise
according to our
hopes …”
Francois de La
Rochefoucauld
Hopes and Promises
If it were possible to describe what Komen Iowa does in three words or less, perhaps a good
description would be “We Restore Hope”. Hopes and promises are closely linked as the Duke
de la Rochefoucauld pointed out almost 400 years ago.
The promise of Komen Iowa to “…save lives and end breast cancer forever “carries with it the
hope of finding a cure as well as the hope of survival for those who receive the dreaded news
“You have breast cancer”. If, in fact, we promise according to our hopes, then it is our hope not
only to find a cure but to empower, to enhance, to energize and to enable.
Empowering and Enhancing
One of the most important ways in which hope can be restored is by providing people with
information and knowledge to act on their own behalf. Knowledge is indeed powerful and
knowledge about risk factors for breast cancer, screening methodologies and preventive
measures all are designed to empower those who need information to take charge of their own
health.
That is why Komen Iowa relies on our sponsors, Race participants, donors, volunteers and
grantees to join us as team members and partners in providing education, screening and
information services. Here are some examples of how that partnership restores hope and
affirms promises:
Trish –
With a family history of cancer, Trish feared the worst when she began having problems with
her breasts during her mid-fifties. She had not had a mammogram for years because the cost
was prohibitive. After several sleepless nights, Trish was referred to a grantee partner for
Komen Iowa and was immediately scheduled with a physician to receive the diagnostic
imaging she needed. Thanks to this partnership, Trish found that she did not have cancer and
today is doing well.
Last year, almost 500 people like Trish received screening and diagnostic services through our
grantee partners.
Millie –
Millie, a 43 year old client with a family history of breast cancer, has had annual mammography
imaging from one of our grantee partners for the past several years. Last year, the screening
mammogram and follow up evaluation resulted in a recommendation for a biopsy. The biopsy
was completed and breast cancer was found. She was then referred to a surgeon for a
lumpectomy. No further treatment was required because she was diagnosed at an early stage,
and received follow–up genetic counseling and testing.
Millie is one example of over 1200 recipients of follow up treatment and support services that
our grantee partners provided in the past year.
Empowering people with information about risk factors and screening resources helps to
reduce fears, sustain hope, and support courage. Over 12,000 people received such
information and referrals from our grantee partners last year.
Energizing and Enabling
Perhaps the greatest steps forward in keeping our promise to save lives and end breast cancer
forever are made in the area of scientific research. It is through the funding of this research that
we are able to energize and enable physicians to find a cure. The Komen Research Program is
an essential driving force for keeping that promise through the identification and support of the
best scientific research to be found worldwide. Each year, Komen Iowa contributes 25% of all
funds raised to this research effort.
Researchers at institutions such as the Mayo Clinic, Washington University School of Medicine
in St. Louis, and the University of Chicago are looking for ways to use the body’s own immune
system to fight the spread of cancer, as well as how to overcome therapy resistant cancer
cells and increase knowledge about the relationships between genetics and cancer. The fact
that oncologists now refer to cancer as a chronic rather than a terminal disease indicates that
the promise of ending breast cancer forever is just over the horizon.
Protecting and Preserving
Keeping promises helps establish one of the most important attributes in human relations,
namely trust. Trust is what we count on to know that our interactions with each other are true,
mutually beneficial, and sincere.
Establishing trust with our partners at Komen Iowa requires good stewardship of the funds we
are given to help fulfill our promise. Stewardship is a term that is used in many different
contexts but one of the most basic meanings of that word has to do with the protection and
preservation of resources that we are given.
Providing good stewardship over the financial resources we receive means that we must
preserve the maximum amount of funds possible to help others and to protect the good name
of our organization in order to continue receiving that support. At Komen Iowa, we are proud of
the way in which we protect and preserve the public support we receive. That is why we are
glad to share with you a visual representation of how we used those funds in the last year.
Komen Iowa FY 15 Expense
Categories
$118,048, 14%
Education
$197,693, 23%
Screening
$190,884, 22%
$223,707, 26%
Research
Mission Outreach
Administration
$133,618, 15%
As you can see from the chart above, we remain committed to the idea that the best defense
against the scourge of breast cancer is early detection. That is precisely why the largest share
of the funds we allocate to fulfill our promise goes toward screening services. Educating people
about risk factors and how to manage those risks is a critical part of the empowerment
component of our promise; giving people the information they need to take control of their
health and health care plans. Our Mission Outreach expenditures are designed to coordinate
service provision throughout our grantee partner network and, as we described above, our
share of the Komen Research Grant program last year totaled over $130,000.
We are also proud to say that once again this year, we have managed to keep our
administrative expenses at or below the maximum ratio recommended by watchdog agencies
such as the Better Business Bureau and Charity Navigator.
The Sound of Hope
This past year, Laura Salter reminded us that, for a breast cancer survivor, “hope” sounds like
a starting pistol firing to signify the return of the Komen Iowa Race for the Cure to Ottumwa..
Iowa. For others, hope may sound like good news from the successful completion of treatment
therapies, or the reassurance that costs for needed procedures to diagnose and treat breast
cancer will not have to be borne alone. If hope does indeed spring “eternal”, then perhaps the
sound of that staring pistol at the Race for the Cure is a symbol of that phrase.
In the next year, we will continue to let the sound of hope reverberate at the Ottumwa Race for
the Cure in the spring, and the Des Moines Race for the Cure in the fall. Both of these race
events are designed to help support the fight against breast cancer through energizing and
enabling scientific researchers to find a cure once and for all. In the meantime, we will continue
to use the funds you donate so generously as efficiently as possible to empower people with
knowledge, and ensure quality care and support for people going through the breast cancer
journey.
We promise.
Volunteer and Staff Leadership
Susan G. Komen – Iowa Board of Directors FY 2015
Becki Brommel
Attorney
Brown Winick Law Firm
666 Grand Avenue, Suite 2000
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
Greg Edwards
President/CEO
Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau
400 Locust Street, Suite 265
Des Moines, Iowa 50309-2350
Sarah Erickson
Executive Director
John Stoddard Cancer Center
1221 Pleasant Street, Suite 590
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
Gayla Harrison
Attorney
Harrison, Moreland, Webber & Simplot, P.C.
129 W. Fourth Street
P.O. Box 250
Ottumwa, Iowa
Lori Howe
Principal/Owner
Share Marketing
815 S. 11th Street
Adel, Iowa 50003
Giulia Jackson
Capital Markets Analyst
Home Services Lending
7601 Office Plaza Drive North
Suite 125
West Des Moines, IA 50266
Darcy Johnson
Customer Service Manager
Wells Fargo Commercial Banking
666 Walnut Street
Des Moines, IA 50309
Leslie Malcom
Sales Manager
On Media
3737 Westtown Parkway, Suite A
West Des Moines, IA. 50266
Greg Shireman
Vice President of Marketing and Sales
Delta Dental of Iowa
9000 North park Drive
Johnston, Iowa 50131
Mary Sievers
Employee Benefit Consultant
Reynolds & Reynolds, Inc.
300 Walnut Street, Suite 200
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
Tami Snyder
Financial Consultant,
Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
1 Home Campus
West Des Moines, Iowa 50266
Mikki Stier
Senior Vice President of Government,
External Relations and Foundation
Broad lawns Medical Center
1801 Hickman Road
Des Moines, IA
50314-1597
Kara Urlis
Clinic Manager
Katzmann Breast Center - Mercy Medical Center
1601 NW 114th Street, Suite 151
Clive, Iowa 50325
Susan G. Komen – Iowa Staff FY 2015
Roger Dahl
Executive Director
Susan G. Komen – Iowa
3850 Merle Hay Road, Suite 405
Des Moines, Iowa 50310
Sara Coen
Mission Initiatives Manager
Susan G. Komen – Iowa
3850 Merle Hay Road, Suite 405
Des Moines, Iowa 50310
Tracy Dubon
Operations Manager
Susan G. Komen – Iowa
3850 Merle Hay Road, Suite 405
Des Moines, Iowa 50310
Derek Johnson
Special Events Coordinator
Susan G. Komen – Iowa
3850 Merle Hay Road, Suite 405
Des Moines, Iowa 50310
Susan G. Komen - Iowa
3850 Merle Hay Road, Suite 405
Des Moines, Iowa 50310
515-309-0095
www.komeniowa.org