Susan G. Komen to discontinue Southwest Florida operations

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Photo via MGN

Susan G. Komen Southwest Florida announced in a letter to sponsors, volunteers and donors on their website Tuesday that their affiliate office will close. Komen will transition in support to its national mission and fundraising program.

The SWFL affiliate said in a statement:

“As Susan G. Komen Southwest Florida no longer meets the requirements set forth in the Komen Affiliate Agreement, we will be discontinuing our local operations as of May 25, 2018, and will be transitioning support for the area to the national mission and fundraising programs.”

Bonnie Olson is a breast cancer survivor and became the first executive director of the local group. Olson helped organize the first Race for a Cure in Southwest Florida.

“We worked so hard to bring the affiliate to Southwest Florida and we worked really hard to become a strong enough affiliate to host our first race,” Olson said.

Olson said the group did much more than organize fundraisers — they helped others survive.

“It devastates me to think that there’s a woman out there that’s going to find a lump and not know where to turn,” Olson said. “The local affiliate was there to let them know who to call, what other organizations they could seek out to get proper treatment for.”

WINK News is working to obtain the specifics of the agreement and find out what requirements were not met.

Komen SWFL said, through funds raised in 2017 and 2018, they will still be able to fulfill most of the requests for funding they received from local clinics and hospitals this year.

The Southwest Florida location will officially close at the end of May.

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