A singular mission drives Julie Henderson: “I don’t want my daughter to ever have to hear
the words ‘you have breast cancer’.” That’s why Julie, a 19-year breast cancer survivor, joined together with “a small but mighty group of seven women” more than 10 years ago to start fundraising for national breast cancer organizations. As a team comprised of both survivors and advocates, they utilize their talents, connections and passion for a great cause.
“Everyone has been touched by breast cancer in one way or another,” Julie said. “This is something very near and dear to my heart. It’s devastating to get that diagnosis.”
Over the past five years, The Pink Warriors have raised $120,000. Eventually, they made the decision to keep their funds local. “We really wanted to make sure all of our funds were supporting people in our community going through treatment,” Julie explained. “We felt if
we did something on our own, we could make sure the money stays here to help local patients.”
That decision led them to the Community Foundation to set up the Land of Lincoln Pink Warriors Fund, a field of interest fund that supports organizations helping individuals receiving breast cancer treatment and empowering breast cancer programs, services, and patients.
Julie is quick to share the statistics: one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Every two minutes, a woman in the U.S. is diagnosed. And 42,000 women will die from the disease this year alone. But behind every number is a name, a
woman with a family and a future who needs a support system after diagnosis.
The Land of Lincoln Pink Warriors Fund specifically supports organizations treating local breast cancer patients who need financial assistance during treatment for expenses not typically covered by insurance, like gas money.
Grants from the Fund were awarded earlier this year and will continue to be distributed on an annual basis. Fundraising events are held throughout the year in conjunction with support of the Springfield area community and businesses. The Pink Warriors also sell
$50 “Cause Boxes” filled with donated items from local businesses.
“Our hope is for this Fund to continue to grow and eventually become a permanent endowment fund,” Julie said. “What we’d like to see is for this to be something that would grow in perpetuity long after we’re gone.”
It’s been a learning process, Julie said, and she’s grateful for the guidance the Foundation has provided.
“All of us have busy lives with full-time jobs, so we wanted to find an avenue to set up a fund without going through the process of creating a 501(c)(3),” Julie shared. “The Foundation staff has been tremendously supportive and helpful. We met with them several
times to provide guidance on the most appropriate structure for the Fund.”
“We’re obviously not a multi-milliondollar fund; we’re starting very small and hoping to grow it into something, but the Foundation is just as passionate about this as a large fund,” she added.
Springfield is a “very tight-knit community that wants to take care of its own,” Julie said, and the Pink Warriors have now established a way to support local individuals affected by
breast cancer.
“This is a great cause, and what we’ve found is that a lot of people want to do something to help; people are waiting to be asked,” she said. “Our community has been phenomenal, and that’s why we decided to go with the Community Foundation. We want all the fruits of our labor to stay here to benefit the people we know.”
This article reprinted with permission of the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln.
