Join the Wings of Karen Local Heroes

With the support of generous individuals and corporate partners, Wings of Karen continues its mission of funding promising breast cancer research in the Pacific NW while empowering, educating, and energizing our community.  We are committed to finding a cure, and look to fund the study of all aspects of breast cancer, including prevention, detection, and treatment.  Your investment and participation in the 5k Bra Dash moves us closer to this goal, and together we are helping to create a world without breast cancer.

One in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.  We can’t wait another lifetime to find a cure, which is why Wings of Karen funds research with a sense of urgency.  Projects that would otherwise be delayed or unrealized altogether, we are able to move forward through the power of direct giving.  

Working directly with the research community, we are getting the most mileage out of every dollar donated.  This is a race save lives, and we are dedicated to finding cures faster.

Nationally recognized researchers with promising ideas can be stuck in a project with very little funding before being able to apply for the larger National grants. This is where we can make an impact…and are. Wings of Karen funds studies at their roots.  With an absolute sense of urgency, we grant researchers the flexibility and permission to do the needed preliminary work, quickly and efficiently. The faster we fund and nurture these promising early ideas, the faster we will find the answers that will lead us to a cure.

Wings of Karen has granted almost a half million dollars to promising breast cancer research. Without our funding, many of these projects would not be realized – including the Wings of Karen Cancer Vaccine study led by Dr. Nora Disis at the University of Washington, which we enabled  to move into trials.  We also give to the Dr. Mary-Claire King lab to study the genetic pathway of breast cancer. Dr. King, a UW Medicine researcher, is most known for her discovery of the BRCA1 gene, a gene that shows an elevated hereditary risk of both breast and ovarian cancer.

Individuals and communities are searching for a closer connection to how their dollars are spent, the cause their money is going toward, and the results that can be expected. With a grass-roots and community-centered approach, volunteer-based operation with minimal overhead, a connection to local sponsors and donors, and partnerships with local research institutions, Wings of Karen fulfills that connection. By hosting events and raising funds in the same communities where the research is done, individuals are empowered, knowledge is spread, and individuals and companies alike are tied to the success and outcomes.

There is passion behind everything we do at Wings of Karen. This passion is shaped not only by the personal battles with breast cancer by the founder of Wings of Karen, but also by the unyielding desire to reach out to all those affected by breast cancer in a positive, uplifting way, and in the process, funding the research that will find a cure.

It is a race to save lives, and every day brings a new opportunity to make a connection, energize a survivor, empower a new generation, and raise the crucial funds needed.

The 5k Bra Dash® is a celebration of what we CAN do as a community to join the fight against breast cancer.

Visit our website at www.wingsofkaren.org