Tricia Sinek, manager of Franciscan Health System’s Community Cancer Programs, has been chosen to receive the 2009 Outstanding Volunteer Award from the Puget Sound affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure® is the global leader in the breast cancer movement, having invested more than $1 billion since its inception in 1982. The Komen Outstanding Volunteer Awards were established in 1998 to recognize accomplishments by individual volunteers and groups of volunteers within Komen affiliates nationwide. The outstanding individual award is given to those who have served five or more years with their Komen affiliate, who go above and beyond the call of duty, and consistently strive to further the position of the affiliate within the community while keeping the mission at heart.

Sinek’s selection for this prestigious award is based on her long-standing advocacy for cancer patients in the community, her support of the Komen organization and her service as a role model for other volunteers. She is a charter member of Komen’s Lunch for the Cure where her energy and guidance help create opportunities for giving through creative fundraising.

Sinek described her association with the Komen Foundation as a natural extension of her work at the not-for-profit Franciscan organization. “I strongly support the Komen Foundation because it does such a great job of serving the local community through fundraising,” she added. “The Komen team has made a real difference right here in Pierce County, helping to make sure medically underserved women get the care they need for a breast cancer diagnosis. I am happy to give my money and time to support such a great cause.”

Among the services that Sinek manages at Franciscan is the successful Breast Cancer Navigator program. This outreach program helps minority-population women to overcome cultural, language and socio-economic obstacles to getting breast cancer screenings and diagnosis they need. Nearly 12,000 women in the South Sound region have benefitted from the Breast Cancer Navigator service since it began in 2005.

Franciscan Health System, which has a mission to create healthier communities, includes St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma and four other acute-care hospitals in Pierce and King counties.