While breast cancer has many faces, there is only one voice that screams to find a cure. Employees and students of the Pasadena Independent School District raised their voice against breast cancer last year in the 16th annual Komen Houston Race for the Cure, bringing in more than $32,500 for the fundraiser.

The Komen Race for the Cure is the annual primary fundraising event for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and more than 100 races are held throughout the world every year. The Komen Foundation funds research grants and supports education, screening and treatment projects in communities around the world in hopes to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease.

At the heart of the districtwide mission to make a difference were the district’s own faces of breast cancer, including 53 surviving employees and 17 employees who lost their battle with the disease.

Two-time breast cancer survivor and South Houston Elementary School’s principal Karen Holt served as the district’s team captain, heading up fundraising activities and participation in the race districtwide.

“This has been the most awesome experience in my seven years as a breast cancer survivor,” Holt said. “It has been such a privilege and honor to serve as the team captain in uniting our work family. I was blown away at our success. As the money kept pouring in, tears would stream down my face. We couldn’t have accomplished this goal without everyone’s participation. This was a united effort on all fronts.”

On the day of the race, more than 250 Pasadena ISD employees and students shared a promise of finding a cure by walking the 5K together. The Pasadena ISD team was honored by the Komen Foundation as the Largest New Group of race participants, and was the fourth largest fundraising team for the race. Of the money raised, more than $4,000 of it was contributed by those who registered online and participated in the race.

The remainder of the total amount was raised by various activities districtwide throughout the month of October. “Passionately Pink Thursdays” were a huge hit among teachers and administrators. Every Thursday, employees were allowed to pay $5 to wear jeans and a pink shirt in support of the cause.

T-shirt sales were another big fundraiser for the effort, and faculty and staff purchased 1,200 in support. To honor the 70 women in the district affected by the disease, their names were printed on the back of the shirts in “In Celebration Of” and “In Memory Of” sections. Because of the volume, more than $4,000 of money raised from the sales was donated.

Students at all grade levels districtwide made and sold pink ribbons and bracelets and competed in change wars between classes and schools. The top fundraising schools were South Houston Elementary ($2,975), Atkinson Elementary ($1,759) and Rick Schneider Middle School ($1,643).

“We try to instill in our students the value of giving back to the community,” said Pasadena ISD Superintendent Kirk Lewis. “Giving them a chance to participate in an activity that is larger than any one of us is a great lesson. I think it means a great deal to everyone involved to know that our children, their parents and our staff care enough to get involved. To us, it’s another part of educating a well-rounded child.”

Holt said she believes being a part of such a large cause is a great educational experience for the students that goes far beyond classroom walls.

“As educators, I feel it is our responsibility to teach students to be passionate and committed for any worthy cause, and we need to teach our students how to reach out to each other and provide support in times of need,” Holt said. “I want them to learn that the quality of our life is not determined by what we encounter in a lifetime, but how we encounter life. It is important for them to know that by uniting their efforts they will in fact make a difference in this world.”