Komen sees drop in Race for Cure entrants

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – With her pink ribbons and can-do attitude, Sonia Susac raised $40,000 last year to become one of the leading fundraisers for the annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in the Sacramento Valley.

Not this year. Susac, a breast cancer survivor, said she likely would raise half that amount for this Saturday’s race.

“I’m reluctant to ask for support because I’m afraid of people’s reactions,” said Susac, who is 45 and lives in Sacramento. “I wish people would focus on all the good the race does.”

Fewer folks are racing for a cure in California’s capital city in the wake of controversy that erupted earlier this year.

Komen officials decided last December to stop financing Planned Parenthood, which provides health services to women that include breast cancer screening and education, as well as contraception and abortion. After news of the change became public in late January, critics charged that Komen had been influenced by anti-abortion advocates on its staff and was playing politics with women’s health.

Stung by the public outcry, Komen later reversed course, restoring the Planned Parenthood funding, and several staff members have since resigned. But the fallout continues.

Registration for Komen’s Race for the Cure in the Sacramento region is down 36 percent, one of the largest registration decreases among Komen affiliates nationally.

Some former participants say they are no longer comfortable supporting the organization and are donating to other breast cancer causes instead. Komen supporters counter that dropping out of the race hurts women.

“People should think of the cause, not the name,” said Isabel Dominguez, a breast cancer survivor who plans to run the race for the third time in honor of her mother.

Many of those who ran beside Dominguez last year will not be there for this year’s race. Last year at this time, 10,074 runners were registered for the Sacramento race. This year, 6,392 participants have signed up, according to local Komen officials.

Komen holds 135 races across the country every year. Eleven runs have been staged so far this year, and several have seen a decline in participation. Fort Worth registration reportedly dropped 23 percent, and participation in Baton Rouge, La., fell 10 percent. St. Louis, which has its race in June, has seen an increase of 1,000 runners.

“We’re seeing a dip in some places, but overall I think it’s a mix,” said Leslie Aun, a national spokeswoman for Komen. “For a while, it looked as if we were going to be down sharply, but we’re beginning to see that trend turn around.”

Officials with Planned Parenthood in Sacramento declined to comment.

Last year, 18,899 runners participated in either the 5K race or one-mile walk for the Komen Race for the Cure in the Sacramento area. In general, participation has gradually declined over the past five years, from a peak of 24,148 in 2007. Organizers said they believe the fall-off in recent years was likely because of the economy. The fee for an adult to run the race is $40, to walk is $35.

But this year’s drop is the steepest, and supporters acknowledge the controversy had an impact. They worry the decrease in participants – and the funds they raise – will hurt local breast cancer groups and patients.

“Not participating is not a pro-life or pro-choice decision,” said Ramirez. “What they are doing is hurting women in our community.”

Jan Treat, 73, is one of several women who said they are donating their money to other breast cancer groups. Treat has supported Komen in the past and has participated in the race. But she said she is now donating her money and time to Sacramento Save Ourselves, a breast cancer support group.

“I’d rather spend my money to help women after they are diagnosed than on a (pink) campaign,” Treat said. “It’s totally understandable why people are staying away, and now Komen has egg on its face. Their politics just don’t cut it for me.”

What the fallout will be in the long term is still to be determined, said one official with a charity watchdog organization.

“It will be interesting to see if and by how much their revenue goes down in future years as a result of this,” said Laurie Styron, an analyst with CharityWatch. “They put themselves in a difficult position and have alienated people on both sides of the abortion issue.”

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