DALLAS - Susan G. Komen for the Cure is canceling half of its three-day charity walks next year because of a drop in participation levels, a spokeswoman for the Dallas-based breast cancer organization said Wednesday.
The announcement comes about a year and a half after Komen experienced intense backlash after news became public of its decision to stop giving grants to Planned Parenthood for breast screenings. The funding was restored days later, though it didn't quell the controversy.
Komen said its Susan G. Komen 3-Day will not return next year to Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Phoenix, San Francisco, Tampa Bay and Washington D.C. Seven other such walks will still be held next year in Atlanta, the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the Detroit area, Philadelphia, San Diego, Seattle and in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
Participation in the three-day events has declined 37 percent over the last four years, according to the group. Participants must raise at least $2,300 to walk 60 miles over three days, and due to the amount of money that must be raised, 60 percent of participants take part in the event only once, Komen spokeswoman Andrea Rader said.
Rader said the decline came in the wake of the economic downturn, but noted that the drop was "a little more dramatic" last year following the Planned Parenthood controversy in late January. She declined to give specific figures for each year, but said other contributing factors for the last year were the economy and competition from other events.
Komen said no other events are being cut back. Among them are about 140 Races for the Cure events each year.
LOCAL ANGLE
Susan G. Komen for the Cure's Southern Arizona chapter does not hold a three-day charity walk and is unaffected by changes announced by the national group on Wednesday.
Local interim executive director Connie Melton says the chapter is operating as normal and recently set its next Race for the Cure date for March 30, 2014 at the University of Arizona.
"Tucson is not affected at all," she said of the national group's announcement.
Melton said some local residents do the three-day walk in Phoenix, which will be canceled after this year's event. Melton stressed that the Phoenix Susan G. Komen 3-Day will still go on as planned this year, however, and it's set for Nov. 8-10.
Tucsonans also often travel to San Diego to participate in that city's Susan G. Komen for the Cure's three-day charity walk. The San Diego three-day event will continue as planned and is not one of the cities on the cancellation list. The walks consist of a 20-mile walk each day for three days.
- Stephanie Innes Arizona Daily Star
