CLEVELAND, March 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A $1 million grant from KeyBank Foundation to Susan G. Komen for the Cure(R) will fund a training and outreach program potentially reaching more than 100,000 medically underserved women in selected communities that KeyBank serves. The grant, announced today by Susan G. Komen for the Cure and KeyCorp, is the Foundation's largest-ever grant at the national level and will be used to establish the Susan G. Komen Lay Health Advisors Training Program.
"Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women. Its impact is especially devastating for women of color, who are more likely to die from breast cancer, and for poor or uninsured women who lack access to health care resources. Our investment in this innovative program reflects our corporate diversity vision and is just one way we give back to the communities where the people of Key live and work," said Beth E. Mooney, KeyCorp president and chief operating officer.
Over the next four years, the program will train nearly 500 lay health advisors to provide education and outreach on breast cancer in 17 communities served by Key Bank and Komen Affiliates nationwide. Lay health advisors will provide information, referrals to health care resources, one-on-one consultations, assistance with scheduling, support during health care visits and more.
Komen founder and CEO, Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker, said the grant will help Komen reach women who otherwise might not be helped. "These women may be unaware of their risk for breast cancer, unable to access the health care system for answers, or unsupported if they do need treatment. Our mission is to ensure that all women have the information and support they need to confront this disease. This commitment from KeyBank Foundation will help make that possible."
The program will roll out first in Northeast Ohio in Cleveland, Akron and Canton through the Northeast Ohio Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and in 2012 and 2013 will expand to Albany, NY; Bellingham, WA; Bellevue, WA; Buffalo, NY; Cincinnati, OH; Columbus, OH; Dayton, OH; Denver, CO; Indianapolis, IN; Portland, OR; Rochester, NY; Syracuse, NY; Tacoma, WA; and Toledo, OH.
Sophie Sureau, executive director of the Komen Northeast Ohio Affiliate, says the power of peer-to-peer education and support is already being demonstrated in programs funded locally by the Affiliate. Some local grantee programs use "Amigas" and "Angels" as trained lay health advisors to educate, encourage and facilitate mammograms for early diagnosis and treatment.
"We know the need for these programs is growing, but the funding resources are not," Sureau said. "We hope that the gift from KeyBank Foundation inspires new support for programs that can truly save lives, especially when there is collaboration between community-based advocates and providers of health care."
About KeyBank and Susan G. Komen for the Cure
Key and its employees have a long history of actively supporting the Northeast Ohio Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which was honored by the global breast cancer organization as the 2009 Affiliate of the Year.
Last year, KeyBank was a platinum sponsor of the Susan G. Komen Northeast Ohio Race for the Cure(R) and helped generate more than $100,000 to support the organization. That amount included the efforts of 375 Key Corporate and Community Bank employees, friends, family members and clients who joined Team "KeyBank - Unlock the Cure" and raised more than $60,000 through grassroots fundraising, including race pledges, events, matching gifts and more.
"Our people are very enthusiastic in their support of Susan G. Komen for the Cure and are eagerly looking forward to September, when Team 'KeyBank - Unlock the Cure' will be a big part of this year's Race for the Cure," said Mooney. "Across the country, other KeyBank districts are also making great strides in their partnership with Race for the Cure, including Denver, where employees created a team through their Key Executive Women's Network."
About KeyBank Foundation
KeyBank Foundation is a nonprofit charitable foundation, funded by KeyCorp. Founded in 1969 as Society Foundation, it became known as Key Foundation in 1996 and KeyBank Foundation in 2009. The Foundation, through its civic programs, corporate contributions and volunteerism supports organizations that foster economic self-sufficiency, principally where KeyBank operates. As a corporate neighbor, the Foundation advances economic self-sufficiency through its funding priorities, which help communities and individuals prosper:
-- Financial Education - Fostering effective financial management and
understanding of financial services and tools
-- Workforce Development - Providing training and placement for people to
access job opportunities
-- Diversity - Promoting inclusive environments by employing systemic
changes to improve the access of individuals of diverse backgrounds
About KeyCorp
Cleveland-based KeyCorp is one of the nation's largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $92 billion at December 31, 2010. Key companies provide investment management, retail and commercial banking, and investment banking products and services to individuals and companies throughout the United States and, for certain businesses, internationally. In 2010, KeyBank scored significantly higher than its four largest competitor banks in a customer satisfaction survey conducted by the American Customer Satisfaction Index, scoring significantly better than bank industry scores across multiple dimensions, most notably Customer Loyalty. In 2009, KeyBank was awarded its
seventh consecutive "Outstanding" rating for economic development achievements under the Community Reinvestment Act, the only national bank among the 50 largest in the United States to achieve this distinction from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Key also has been recognized for excellence in numerous areas of the multi-channel customer banking experience, including Corporate Insight's 2009 and 2010 editions of Bank Monitor for online service. For more information about Key, visit https://www.key.com/.
About Susan G. Komen for the Cure
Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, 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 and the Komen 3-Day for the Cure(R), we have invested more than $1.9 billion to fulfill our promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world. For more information about Susan G. Komen for the Cure, breast health or breast cancer, visit komen.org or call 1-877 GO KOMEN.
KeyCorp
CONTACT: Lynne Woodman, +1-216-577-1374, Lynne_Woodman@keybank.com, or
Andrea Rader, +1-972-855-4320, arader@komen.org
Web site: https://www.key.com//
