Seven area programs will receive a share of $300,00 in grants from the Coastal Georgia affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

The awards were announced today at Komen’s annual awards luncheon at Savannah Golf Club. The grants are to be used for direct community services that will fund breast cancer screening, education, diagnostic services, and patient navigation. This brings the total investment in our local coastal community to $2.5 million dollars since the affiliate’s inception.

“It often surprises people to learn that support for our affiliate is raised here and stays here,’ said Aileen Gabbey, Executive Director for Susan G. Komen Coastal Georgia. “Seventy-five percent of funds raised benefit the nine counties we serve, and the remaining twenty-five percent is devoted to research for a cure.”

This year, the Coastal Georgia Affiliate of Susan G. Komen has awarded grants to local programs, including:

- Memorial Health’s Full Continuum of Care Program;

- St. Joseph’s/Candler Health System’s Embrace Program;

- Southeast Georgia Health System’s Mammograms in Motion in Glynn County;

- Liberty County Health Department’s BRAVE III Project;

- Hearts and Hands for Mammograms in Bulloch County;

- Curtis V. Cooper Mammography in Chatham County;

- Coastal Community Health Services Breast Cancer Outreach in Glynn County.

“Each month in our service area, 12 women are diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer,” shared Suzanne Kirk, Board President. “We stress the need for screenings for underserved women in our community because early detection saves lives.”

Komen Coastal Georgia encourages programs designed for screenings and education.

“In the last five years, our affiliate has provided support for over 7,000 screenings,” said Julie Schwartz, Mission Coordinator. “Our community profile identifies our service area’s needs so that we can reach the women and men most in need of help.”