SURF helps raise $23,000 for local breast cancer charity over five years

This October, the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) is once again recognizing Breast Cancer Awareness Month with an annual fundraising effort to benefit Foundation for Health. The Lead-Deadwood organization supports local breast cancer patients who need assistance while promoting preventive measures such as exams and cancer education in the Northern Hills and beyond. In the past five years, SURF personnel, alongside many community and area industry partners, have raised more than $23,000 for this local charity. This year the Wellness Working Group at SURF is aiming to raise an additional $5000 for the Foundation for Health.

Cancer affects everyone; this fact drives organizers of SURF’s annual fundraising effort to this cause.  

“I have had five people in my family alone who have had cancer, and getting the push out there to help folks in the community who need cancer treatment is important to us,” says Kerry Kampa, an integrated management support tech who is part of the Wellness Working Group at SURF.  “The Foundation for Health helps folks right here in our area meet their basic needs when they are impacted by cancer. And giving back to the community in this way means a lot to us.”

The Wellness Working Group is encouraging SURF employees, along with outside contractors and other agencies, to donate online to the Foundation for Health. The group is also hosting internal lunch and learn events and an after-hours fundraiser at a local venue. SURF personnel can also participate in the annual photo contest by submitting photos of the pink ribbon illuminating the head frames overlooking Lead. SURF employees who wear pink on Fridays during October are also eligible for prizes from the Wellness Working Group. 

For more information on Breast Cancer Awareness Month see the National Breast Cancer Foundation’s website here.