Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer among women in the U.S. after skin cancer. In fact, there are currently more than four million women with a history of breast cancer in the U.S. Most, if not all of us know someone who has been greatly impacted by this disease.
Founded in 2011, Brakes for Breasts unites independent auto repair shops to support people affected by breast cancer and donate to ongoing research for a cure. You may have heard the saying, “prevention is better than cure.” Brakes for Breasts takes that to the next level through the belief that “prevention is the cure.” The organization offers participating shops a chance to raise money for the Cleveland Clinic Breast Cancer Vaccine Fund, supporting the creation of a vaccine that can prevent TNBC (triple negative breast cancer).
Today, Brakes for Breasts has expanded to work with hundreds of shops nation-wide, raising more than $1.8 million. Its founders, Leigh Ann Best and Laura Frank, are both powerhouses in the auto repair industry who established Brakes for Breasts to raise money for breast cancer research and provide a bigger voice to women in the auto repair industry.
In 2020, Tekmetric donated more than $10,000 to Brakes for Breasts. This year, our goal is to donate even more – and we need your help! There are multiple ways to participate:
- Sign up with Tekmetric. During the month of October, Tekmetric will donate $50 to the Brakes for Breasts campaign for every new shop that signs up for Tekmetric.
- Share the campaign with your customers. If you are a TechNet shop, make sure your customers know that when they come to you for a qualifying brake service between September 1 and October 31, you are offering a rebate on qualifying brake pads that they can choose to donate to the fund.
- Donate directly. Participating independent repair shops can work directly with Brakes for Breasts by offering customers free brake pads on brake jobs in the month of October, then donating 10% of the labor from that brake service to the fund.
- Donate with Tekmetric's fundraising link. If you want to go straight to Brakes for Breasts without any brakes, use this link to donate any dollar amount to Brakes for Breast. You can choose between a one-time donation or a monthly contribution.
All proceeds will go towards The Cleveland Clinic Breast Cancer Vaccine Research Fund. The end goal is to create a vaccine that can create a world free of breast cancer.
Brakes for Breasts is a tremendous opportunity for your shop to partner with your local community to benefit people affected by breast cancer. Our customer Austin Blanton, owner of Import Auto Shop, experienced this phenomenon first-hand when his shop participated in previous years: “When you’re worried about money and busy dealing with operations stuff, you can lose sight of paying it forward. For example, one of the things we did last year was get involved with Brakes for Breasts.”
As we aim to focus on our customers, we are also happy to be part of initiatives that will transform lives for generations to come. For our customers who have been impacted by this disease, the month of October honors what you have overcome to be here. By promoting further research and support of your journey, we hope to support the creation of better cancer care for all who are impacted by this disease. Let’s hit the brakes on breast cancer and work towards a cure together!
