Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women in the United States. There is a 1 in 8 chance every woman will develop breast cancer at some point in her life.

At Springfield Plastics in Illinois, two of the women employed there have had breast cancer and a family member of vice president Jennifer Furkin sadly succumbed to breast cancer.

The direct impact the disease has had on the employees at Springfield Plastics prompted Furkin and others to start Drain for the Cure.

Based in Auburn, Illinois, Springfield Plastics, Inc., is a Midwest manufacturer that has produced plastic pipe solutions for the agricultural, residential/building, commercial and highway markets since 1978.

“We started this fundraiser in 2014 when a cousin of mine was 34 and diagnosed with stage 4 triple negative breast cancer. It caught us all by surprise. She had three toddlers at the time and unfortunately she only fought the battle for two years. As a growing company at the time, we wanted to take a stand on cancer and help others fight at the same time. We are pushing for better treatments, better detection and finding a cure,” Furkin said.

Furkin’s mother-in-law passed away two-and-a-half years ago after battling a brain tumor for six months.

“Cancer literally affects everyone, whether it’s a coworker or family member or friend. Everyone knows someone fighting this battle,” she said.

To date, Springfield Plastics has raised more than half a million dollars total in their Drain for the Cure fundraiser.

“To say at eight years that we’ve reached that mark is incredible but we have amazing support from our employees, customers, vendors and the community,” Furkin said.

Anyone interested in donating to Drain for the Cure can mail checks to the company or donate online at www.spipipe.com.

This year, donations will be split between the SIU Institute in central Illinois and $10,000 will be given to the John Stoddard Cancer Center in Des Moines. All donations are matched 100 percent by Springfield Plastics.

“We have a growing customer base in the state of Iowa and we wanted to get Iowans involved and connect with folks who are using that facility, too,” Furkin said. “We hope to expand into other states in the future.”

Simmons Cancer Institute at SIU Medicine offers patient care, cancer research, and complementary programs and therapies for patients and families. Their researchers perform clinical trials and research studies aimed at finding new, more effective cancer treatments.

The John Stoddard Cancer Center’s high standard of cancer care comes from decades of research, experience, and technological superiority. The center provides patients with the opportunity to participate in more than 50 national and international research studies that look at all types of cancers. Through research, they have found improved methods of treating patients.

Checks can also be made payable to SIU Foundation or John Stoddard Cancer Center

and mailed to:

Springfield Plastics

7300 W. State Rt. 104

Auburn, IL 62615