ORLANDO, Fla.  — The Central Florida Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure issued a statement regarding the national controversy of the decision of the Susan G. Komen foundation to stop funding Planned Parenthood which was reversed today.  According to its Facebook page, the Central Florida Afilliate has not funded Planned Parenthood.

Last October, fundraising events were held around Brevard County in support of the Susan G. Komen Foundation Central Florida Affiliate, including a Pink Ribbon Walk In Port Canaveral,  Palm Bay Firefighters Passionately Pink for the Cure, and Downtown Titusville Goes Pink.

The Central Florida Affiliates statement follows:

Throughout the last two days, you have all become well aware of the latest questions surrounding Susan G. Komen for the Cure, its grants process, future funding of grant recipients, and the leadership team in place at its headquarters in Dallas, Texas. It is with great passion and continued dedication to the mission of this organization that we write to you, our supporters, community, and survivors.

Despite the latest issues, we continue our work in Central Florida without hesitation. Our goal is, and always will be, to create a world without breast cancer. To that end, we will work to empower people, ensure quality care for all, and to energize science to find the cures.

We raise funds locally in order to support our local community. Up to seventy-five percent of funds raised here remain here so that we can grant these funds to organizations that need them in order to provide breast health services to men and women in our area. The remaining twenty-five percent goes toward national research grants.

Komen’s recent grant policy revisions will in no way affect our current grantees. Our decision to award grants is based on a community needs assessment, done every two years. We use this assessment to award grants where they will have the greatest impact on our community. To the best of our knowledge, our local Planned Parenthood chapter has never applied for a local Komen grant, nor have we ever awarded funds to Planned Parenthood. If Planned Parenthood had applied for funding, they would go through the same grants process as every other organization we have funded.

We are as dedicated to our mission today as we were yesterday, and we will work to continually improve our ability to service the needs of the uninsured and underinsured in our community.

To date, the Central Florida Affiliate alone has raised over $5 million through the generosity of individual and corporate donors, memorial gifts, third-party fundraisers, community partnerships, and fundraising events, including our annual Race for the Cure. In 2011, our Affiliate granted 15 non-profit organizations over $600,000 for local breast health services, and we contributed an additional $150,000 to fund national research initiatives.

Our funding in 2010 provided for more than 1600 initial screening mammograms, over 1100 diagnostic procedures, education to more than 50,000 people, and a breast cancer diagnosis in 27 women – who otherwise may have gone undiagnosed and untreated.

We ask that you continue to stand by us as we work to support local breast cancer services and to find the cures to end breast cancer forever.

With great hope,

The Board and Staff of Komen Central Florida