Team Members Needed for Race for the Cure

Project Self-Sufficiency invites area residents to join Team Project Self-Sufficiency in the seventh annual Susan G. Komen North Jersey Race for the Cure, a 5K Race/Walk at the Essex County South Mountain Recreation Complex in West Orange on Sunday, May 4th.  Interested participants are encouraged to register online at www.komennorthjersey.org/race and click on Team Project Self-Sufficiency.  For those in need of transportation, a bus will leave the Newton campus promptly at 7:15 a.m.  The bus ride is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Thousands of participants are expected to come together to help raise funds for breast cancer research at the 5K Race/Walk.  A 1.5 mile Walk is also available for those who find the 5K Race/Walk too challenging.  For the youngsters, the event will feature a special “Kids for the Cure” 50-yard dash, along with musical entertainment, clowns, sports, and arts and crafts.  New this year is the 3.5 mile Obstacle Challenge, entitled “Endure for the Cure.” 

“Project Self-Sufficiency has been proud to be the recipient of funding from Susan G. Komen for the Cure® North Jersey for our Breast Health Campaign for many years,” commented Deborah Berry-Toon, Executive Director of Project Self-Sufficiency.  “As a result of this funding, more than 70,000 women and girls have received breast health education, and the mobile mammography van funded by the foundation has allowed more than 1,000 women to be screened for breast cancer.  Sussex County has a higher incidence of this type of cancer than the state average, and we are determined to continue our efforts to raise awareness of the importance of early detection in the fight against breast cancer.  Participating in Team Project Self-Sufficiency during the Komen Race for the Cure® on May 4th gives our community an opportunity to thank the Susan G. Komen for the Cure® North Jersey for the early detection programs they have made available.  It’s also a fun way to help those who have been afflicted by breast cancer, and a great way to support the many women who have survived as a direct result of the efforts by the Komen North Jersey Affiliate.”

Seventy-five percent of net funds raised by the Race will be allocated to the Affiliate’s nine-county northern New Jersey service area to support life-saving programs for uninsured and underinsured women.  The remaining twenty-five percent of net proceeds will be directed to research through the Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Grants Program. 

The multi-faceted Breast Health Awareness campaign at Project Self-Sufficiency is a recipient of grant money from Susan G. Komen for the Cure® North Jersey.  Funds are used to promote early detection and prevention in the community, by combining in-school visits and multi-media efforts at middle schools, high schools and area colleges.  The agency also uses the funds to staff a mobile mammography unit and offer free breast exams six times a year to eligible women.  Project Self-Sufficiency has been joined by the New Jersey Herald, Sussex Honda and Intercar Mercedes Benz in the “Mammograms Save Lives” campaign which features news articles, flyers, print advertisements and billboards.

To join Team Project Self-Sufficiency at the May 4th Komen North Jersey Race for the Cure® at the Essex County South Mountain Recreation Complex, log onto www.komennorthjersey.org/race and select Team Project Self-Sufficiency.  A free bus will take members of Team Project Self-Sufficiency to the race site, leaving the Project Self-Sufficiency campus promptly at 7:15 a.m. and departing from the area by noon.  Project Self-Sufficiency is located at 127 Mill Street in Newton.  Advance registration for the bus is required.  To register for the free bus ride to the South Mountain Recreation Complex on May 4th, call Project Self-Sufficiency at 973-940-3500.