Our Mission

About Women Rock For The Cure

Our Mission

Women Rock For The Cure™ is committed to connecting and supporting young women facing breast cancer.

The 501(c)(3) organization works to build awareness and provide outreach programs through the power of the entertainment industry.

All proceeds benefit the organization’s outreach efforts, including the Young Survivors Retreat, which brings together young women diagnosed with breast cancer.

What We Do

Women Rock For The Cure™ is a Nashville-based non-profit organization founded in 2007 by four friends with ties to the music industry: Jensen (Sussman) Arrowsmith, Liz Lee Schullo, Rebekah Lee Beard and Tara Austin. Since then, WRFTC has worked to find new ways to increase breast cancer awareness locally and help raise money for the cause. WRFTC is pinker than ever and always rockin’ to reach the organization’s vision; to fight breast cancer by utilizing the passion, creativity and strength of the entertainment industry to find inspiring ways to raise money for local breast cancer related organizations, including the Greater Nashville Affiliate of Susan G. Komen For The Cure, as well as increase awareness among young women and men in their 20s, 30s, 40s.

Flagship annual events include the Pink Trash Ball, Opry Goes Pink, and the annual Women Rock For The Cure benefit concert which has drawn standing-room-only crowds for the past three years. All proceeds raised benefit the ongoing efforts of the organization to help support breast cancer research and community outreach programs, including the WRFTC Young Survivors Retreat. The 2011 retreat was held on September 23-25 in Franklin, TN and helped connect young women from across the country who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Who We Benefit

Breast Cancer does not discriminate and although it is more common in women over age 40, it does affect younger women and men. Five percent of all breast cancers diagnosed in the U.S. each year occur in women under 40. Since breast cancer at this early age is rare, this makes a diagnosis especially shocking and challenging for young women. At a time in life when all of your friends are starting families and launching their careers, issues of treatment, recovery and survivorship suddenly take top priority in your world. To help provide resources and address the unique issues facing these young women and men fighting breast cancer, Women Rock For The Cure™ primarily targets survivors, friends and family of women and men who were diagnosed in their 20s, 30s, 40s.

Rockin’ Fundraising

Over the last 4 years, Women Rock For The Cure™ is proud to have raised over $100,000 to aid in the fight against breast cancer through research and awareness.

History

Women Rock For The Cure™ was founded in 2007 by four friends with ties to the music-industry; Jensen Sussman, Liz Lee Schullo, Rebekah Lee Beard and Tara Austin. Two years prior, Jensen was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer. She was 27 at the time and had just graduated with a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her family brought her home to Nashville for treatment, and she underwent surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Once her treatment was finished, she decided to stay in Nashville to be close to her family and took a job as manager of publicity for an independent record label. That’s when she joined the Society of Leaders in Development (SOLID), an organization for young music business professionals, and met Liz, Rebekah and Tara. Jensen says, “After sharing my story with the girls, we all realized that breast cancer had touched each of our lives in some way, and we all shared a passion for doing everything we possibly could to make a difference.” With their ties to the music industry, and support from SOLID, they set out to organize an all-female, writer-in-the round benefit concert – later called Women Rock For The Cure – to help raise awareness and funds for SOLID’s Race for the Cure Team.

The first year’s show featured esteemed singer/songwriters Joanna Cotten, Victoria Shaw, Matraca Berg, Jessi Alexander and Universal South’s Jennifer Hanson, as well as testimonials from Komen representatives and cancer survivors. The sold-out crowd was full of music fans, cancer patients, cancer survivors and Music Row insiders. After two amazing years of packed-out concerts, the founders decided to make Women Rock For The Cure™ a non-profit organization and keep rockin’ pink all year round.

In the last two years, WRFTC has partnered with The Grand Ole Opry to present the annual “Opry Goes Pink” event. The event held in October has broadened our outreach efforts through national media exposure by securing the legendary 5-time Grammy Award winning duo, The Judds and multiplatinum Country Music recording artist Carrie Underwood.  ABCʼs Good Morning America host and breast cancer survivor, Robin Roberts, FOX News anchor Greta Van Susteren and actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley, have all served as guest announcers.