BCRFA gives largest donation ever to UAB Cancer Center

On Tuesday, January 20, 2015, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama (BCRFA) presented its largest donation ever – $650,000 – to the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center. This year’s gift brings the organization’s cumulative total to more than $5.1 million since 1996.

Since their launch, BCRFA has made an annual donation to the Cancer Center with proceeds from various fundraising efforts over the course of the year, including specially designed car tag sales, special events and from individual donors. Without the generous support of the community, none of these efforts made by BCRFA would have been possible.

“We are extremely thankful for all of the hard work the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama has done for us. Their support has been astounding since their inception and we couldn’t be happier to be their partner in the fight against cancer,” says Edward Partridge, M.D., director of the Cancer Center. “This kind of giving allows for our hard work to continue with hope for an even brighter future.”

BCRFA has continued to strive for success in helping the Cancer Center‘s breast cancer research program, which is now recognized as one of the premier research programs in the United States. This kind of partnership will strengthen not only financial needs, but the work of the community. All donations given by the BCRFA are given exclusively to the Cancer Center and remain in Alabama. BCRFA has generous help from community partners that include: Winn-Dixie, Docupak, Tameron Automotive, Belk, Sirote & Permutt, and The Alabama Power Foundation, along with many others.

BCRFA and UAB provide researchers with the resources to accelerate discovery and translate new knowledge into meaningful therapies for all types of breast cancer. They also provide funding for several key breast cancer projects that have the potential to provide new cures and to prevent DNA repair in breast cancer tumor cells. Much of this work is led by Andres Forero, M.D., a nationally recognized expert in breast cancer research and treatment and Cancer Center senior scientist.

Kate Kiefer, president of BCRFA, gave thanks to all that has helped her staff fund the Cancer Center and continued to advocate breast cancer research at the appreciation luncheon Tuesday. She passionately spoke about the foundation’s vision for the future and what a tremendous help the Birmingham area has been assisting in finding the cure for cancer in Alabama.  

“The BCRFA hopes to continue to increase their funding to UAB each year, as the more dollars we raise, the more opportunity UAB has to conduct the amount of research required to find better treatments for all types of breast cancer, if not for the ultimate cure,” says Kiefer.

 Dr. Partridge wrapped up the ceremony by accepting the large donation and ended with a bold statement.

“With this donation, we will not only continue to grow stronger as a leader in the fight against breast cancer, but also grow closer to achieving our vision of eliminating cancer as a major public health problem by 2050,” says Partridge.