The NC Foothills Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® announced this month that they have funded a grant entitled, “The Role of Estrogen in Breast Cancer Gene Amplification” in tribute of the Ladies of Rock Barn for being champions of Rally for the Cure.

“We support the efforts of the NC Foothills Affiliate in their efforts to provide educational materials and free mammograms [through grants] to the women of our community,” said Melinda McCormick, Volunteer Ambassador host for the Ladies of Rock Barn Rally and Golf Tournament.

Rally for the Cure is a grassroots program that works to spread awareness about breast health and breast cancer in support of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® through volunteered organized golf, tennis and social events. The Rally program has been in existence for over 15 years since 1996 and has enlisted the help of over 35,000 ambassadors to champion Komen’s cause in their community to recruit two million people to support the fight against breast cancer. Rally's primary goal is to support Komen's commitment to awareness as the first step in eliminating breast cancer.

Since Rally started in 1996, the program has reached over 1.9 million participants and has raised more than $60 million for Susan G. Komen for the Cure®.  Rally established The Champions List, to honor the time, dedication and support received from ambassadors, groups and individuals, who have dedicated a tremendous amount of energy and passion to spreading breast cancer awareness through the program for a minimum of 15 years.

The Ladies of Rock Barn are Rally champions and in tribute to their philanthropic efforts Komen has funded a grant on their behalf that will support a three year study led by Dr. Susan Gerbi of Brown University. The study aims to understand how estrogen may amplify genes, with the hope that this research could ultimately lead to the development of new cancer therapies that stop this process and the subsequent formation of tumors.

“We are very pleased to be a named Rally Champions and to be included in the research grant,” said McCormick. “We look forward to next year’s event.”