Art Golab and Josh McGhee
Staff Reporters
August 10, 2012 9:56PM
Glenview-The Susan G. Komen 3 day walk for the Cure, of breast cancer going through Glenview. Flick Park was a cheering location along the way and the Glen Grove School along Glenview Ave. just east of Milwaukee is a pit stop for walkers. At Flick Park walkers go past Brenna Miller, Ehan Schnabel, Olivia MIller and Colleen Miller. | Joe Cyganowski~For Sun-Times Media
Updated: August 11, 2012 2:17AM
Turnout for the Susan G. Komen Chicago 3-Day for the Cure 60-mile walk was down by more than a third this weekend, likely due to controversy over the group's decision earlier this year to cut off, then restore funds for Planned Parenthood's breast cancer screenings.
About 1,200 walkers showed up for the opening ceremony Friday in Northbrook, down from 1,900 last year.
While most participants were aware of the Planned Parenthood fallout, fewer knew that earlier this week Komen founder and CEO Nancy Brinker announced she would leave her leadership post for a new position at Komen. Also, Komen President Liz Thompson and two board members resigned.
Earlier, Komen said it cut the funds because of a government investigation of Planned Parenthood launched at the request of anti-abortion groups. Komen restored the funding after a firestorm of protest, but the actions left people on both sides of the abortion debate angry at Komen.
"Komen has had a tough year," said Dr. Sheri Phillips, a national spokeswoman for the three-day walks. "Although our participation is down . . . we welcome any participant numbers because every dollar raised makes a difference in our efforts to put an end to breast cancer."
And with each walker required to raise a minimum of $2,300, the event will still bring in at least $2.76 million. The final number, to be released Sunday, will likely be more because many walkers raise more than the minimum. Last year, the Chicago 3-Day took in $5.1 million.
Reefe Allen, 33, who is doing the walk with her mother, said the Planned Parenthood affair hurt her fund-raising efforts.
"A lot of doctors I worked with opted not to donate because of the situation," she said. "But the whole purpose is for the cure. I didn't want to let that bring my energy down."
However, walker Cindy Geye, 61, of East Dundee, said her church members continued to support her.
"They know that most of the 3-day money goes directly to research," said Geye, a three-time cancer survivor who has done breast cancer walks in 15 cities.
The walks are run by the national organization, while a Chicago affiliate runs two one-day Race for the Cure events, on Sept. 22 and 23, in Chicago and Lombard, respectively. Those events will draw 15,000 participants, according to the affiliate's exective director, Michael Ziener.
And while the national foundation and its affiliates may take a hit as a result of the controversy, Ziener said Komen is financially stable and has plenty of reserve funds to ride out a storm.
That was not the case for another breast cancer group, the locally-based Y-Me National Breast Cancer Organization. It was not involved with Planned Parenthood, and despite a well-attended walk here in May, it closed its doors and declared bankruptcy in July, citing rising expenses and declining contributions.
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