Komen Foundation Reaching Out to Young Professionals

Acquaviva Delle Fonti looked like any other happy hour Wednesday night, with young professionals gathered to sip wine and munch on hors d'oeuvres while mingling.

The scene though was different as the wine tasting evening was not purely social—the young professionals were gathered to raise money for breast cancer awareness. The Susan G. Komen Foundation, a breast cancer advocacy organization, arranged the evening as part of its newly formed young professionals committee in the North Jersey chapter.

The young professionals committee was organized recently in order to bring younger people into the work of the group. Following a happy hour event in Hoboken, this was the second event organized by the group, which is headquartered in Summit. The wine tasting was organized in part to allow for young professionals to hear more about the Nov. 21 Pink Tie Ball the foundation is organizing in West Orange. The ball, which is having a Western theme this year and will be more casual in nature, is the North Jersey chapter's main fundraiser and for the first time is marketing more towards young professionals. The ball tickets, normally $750, have been marked down to $250 for those between 21 and 35 years old. The price is thought to be more reasonable for those in the age group.

"We wanted to open to a new group," Komen board member Jean Criss said. "We wanted to have a change with the event."

Criss, an advertising executive with Comcast Spotlight, said the organization has seen the ball to be a success in the past and the foundation is hoping the young professionals committee will be able to bring more people into the foundation's work. The local chapter focuses 75 percent of its funds on activities in North Jersey, with 25 percent going to the national group.

"The event has been very successful for 13 years and we want to tell young professionals that breast cancer is hitting young women and we need to educate them at an early age," Criss said.

Wednesday night's event was held at Acquaviva because of what is described by the Komen Foundation as a strong breast cancer advocacy community in town. Westfield High School's breast cancer awareness club and volleyball team organized a fundraising game earlier this month for the Komen Foundation and one of the organizers of next spring's North Jersey Race for the Cure lives in town. Marissa Ventura, the daughter of the restaurant's owners, is a co-chairwoman of the young professionals committee and her mother is a former Pink Tie Ball chairwoman. The group's third event is scheduled for next week at a cannoli shop in Manhattan.

Amy Barth, events manager for the North Jersey chapter, said the chapter plans on engaging the young professionals committee more in the coming year. She said that while one in eight women is diagnosed with breast cancer, one in ten women under 45 have the disease. She said the younger women are more likely to have more aggressive forms of breast cancer.

"The young professionals are a lot more involved and are looking for fun ways to make people more aware of the disease," Barth said. "We feel young professionals are the future of our organization."