SURF kicks off fifth annual breast cancer awareness month
The campaign raises funds for the Lead-Deadwood Foundation for Health’s “pink bubble” and awareness about breast cancer
For the past four Octobers, Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), has gone pink to raise awareness about breast cancer. So far, we’ve had sitewide participation and raised more than $14,600 for the Lead-Deadwood Foundation for Health’s (Foundation for Health) breast cancer fund.This October, the SURF Wellness Working Group (WWG) invites our community to join our fifth annual Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign.
The campaign aims to raise $5,000 for the Foundation for Health. To help reach our goal, the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority (SDSTA) has pledged to match up to $3,000 in matching funds.
“We’ve developed a great partnership with the Foundation for Health,” said Mike Headley, executive director of SURF. “This group helps so many in our community in their battle with cancer. It’s been an honor to support the Foundation in helping our neighbors fight this horrible disease.”
The Foundation for Health has been providing opportunities to the community with health, safety, and personal needs for more than 32 years. The Foundation for Health also runs the “Tough Enough to Wear Pink” campaign during the Days of ’76 Rodeo as a way to increase support for breast cancer patients in the area.
“We call it our ‘pink bubble,’” said Laurie Wince, director of the Foundation for Health. “All funds raised in the name of breast cancer go directly to helping those patients specifically.”
The Foundation for Health’s pink bubble bridges daily living costs for breast cancer patients that aren’t addressed by medical insurance. These include transportation to and from treatments, travel and lodging for the patient and their families, and lymphedema compression sleeves. Funds are also used for nutrition, pre- and post-testing and education. The Foundation for Health also provided funds to the Regional Health Lead-Deadwood Hospital to redo a section of flooring in order to stabilize the mammogram machine.
“One thing I want to emphasize is that the funds from this campaign stay local,” said Wince. Patients eligible for these funds live primarily in Lead and Deadwood, with a few in the greater Northern Hills.
The campaign also encourages staff and partners to raise awareness by sharing resources, attending fundraising events, and finding creative ways to “go pink.”
"We are always happy to help our neighbors through the Foundation for Health. The entire team at SURF is excited to kick off this campaign again this year," said Julie Ewing, director of Environment, Safety, and Health at SURF.
Members of the community are welcome to join the campaign and can give online or via donation boxes at locations around the SURF facility.