Combating Breast Cancer: How One Sodexo Network Group Gives Back
By Tami Carter, Senior Recruiter

According to estimates by the American Cancer Society, one in eight women in America will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime. At Sodexo, we are committed to the Race for the Cure, and our Women’s Network Group (WiNG) is leading this charge with passion, commitment and results.

This year WiNG coordinated 26 events across the country that raised money for the fight against breast cancer. According to Jeff Snook, Secretary for WiNG, in FY ’09 the network group raised $112,000 through the efforts of the WiNG regional leaders, their members, families and co-workers. This effort exceeded the FY ’08 milestone and brought the group to a grand total of nearly $225,000 raised over the last 3 fiscal years for breast cancer research.

Some notable events that garnered the biggest amounts for FY ’09 for WiNG included:

WiNG participants and supporters attending the Raleigh, NC, Race for the Cure. From left to right: Earl Evans, Diane Evans, Howard Terrell, Debbi Oryszak, Jeanie McIntyre, Meredith Jackson & Amee Trippel.

"The Susan G. Komen race is an amazing event that I feel privileged to be a part of with WiNG," said Debbi Oryszak, Senior Recruiter and Co-Chair of the Sodexo Raleigh-Durham chapter. "We had 12 participants on our team this year and raised over $800.00.”

The Susan G. Komen Foundation is a champion in the fight against breast cancer and has been a name synonymous with the battle for many years. Since its inception in 1982, The Komen Foundation has raised over $1.3 billion for research, education and health services, making it the largest breast cancer charity in the world. And through those efforts, WiNG is proud to raise money for the foundation each year.

Sodexo WiNG members participated in the first-ever Global Race for the Cure in Washington, D.C. on June 6th. From left to right: Sandy Shaw, Tami Carter-McNulty, and Cindy Clemenza.

"I have been participating in the Race for the Cure for 4 years now,” notes Cindy Clemenza, a Sodexo employee and WiNG member in Maryland. "The race was much more meaningful the last two years as a two-year breast cancer survivor diagnosed in April of 2007. I too now sport a pink breast cancer ‘survivor’ shirt and as one of them in the crowd, ‘high five’ my fellow survivors, congratulating them on their achievement as they do for me.”

You can learn more about WiNG and Sodexo’s other network groups here.