Boarding for Breast Cancer (B4BC) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit foundation that provides breast cancer awareness

Breast cancer awareness

Breast cancer awareness is an effort to raise awareness of breast cancer and reduce the disease's stigma by educating people about its symptoms and treatment options...

, education, prevention and support for young people and the action sports community at large. B4BC was founded in 1996 by Lisa Hudson and Kathleen Gasperini with professional snowboarders Tina Basich

Tina Basich

Tina Basich is an American snowboarder, originally from Sacramento, California.- Career :Basich began snowboarding in 1986, when the sport was still new...

 and Shannon Dunn-Downing

Shannon Dunn-Downing

Shannon Dunn-Downing is an American snowboarder and Olympic medalist. She received a bronze medal in the halfpipe event at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, becoming the first American woman to win a medal in snowboarding. She finished 5th at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City...

.

History

Boarding for Breast Cancer (B4BC) was founded in 1996 to raise awareness

Raising awareness

"Raising awareness" is a phrase that advocacy groups commonly use when promoting a particular issue, organization or event. Raising awareness refers to alerting the general public that a certain issue exists and should be approached the way the group desires...

 about breast cancer. B4BC cites the the death death of a 26-year old woman who died of breast cancer as a result of complications that arose from delayed diagnosis of the disease as the inspiration for the formation of the group. To increase awareness of the risks of breast cancer in youth populations, B4BC hosted a "Snowboard + Music festival".

B4BC now performs educational outreach by advocating at colleges and universities, music festivals and action sports events. B4BC also hosts a nationwide "board-a-thons" nationwide as a platform to advocate for healthy lifestyles.

In 2009, B4BC established the Survivor Scholarship Fund which seeks to enhance survivorship by connecting breast cancer survivors to health + wellness retreats.

Events

B4BC sponsors and participates in a wide array of events to raise money and awareness for their cause. They set up tents and educate girls about Breast Cancer Awareness at a wide variety of events, from large events such as the Warped Tour

Warped Tour

The Warped Tour is a touring music and extreme sports festival. The tour is held in venues such as parking lots or fields upon which the stages and other structures are erected. The BMX/skateboarding shoe manufacturer Vans, among others, has sponsored the tour every year since 1995, and it is...

 and the Winter X Games

X Games

The X Games is a commercial annual sports event, controlled and arranged by US sports broadcaster ESPN, which focuses on action sports. The inaugural X Games was held in the summer of 1995 in Rhode Island....

 to the Union Square Street Sessions in Central Park

Central Park

Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...

. They also sponsor snowboarding events and rail jams across the country. Their events have attracted several notable music groups including the Beastie Boys

Beastie Boys

Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....

, Blink 182, Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...

, Linkin Park

Linkin Park

Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries...

, Moby

Moby

Richard Melville Hall , better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his outspoken liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.Moby gained attention in the early...

, Less than Jake

Less Than Jake

Less Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida. Originally formed in 1992 as a power pop trio, the band evolved into a hybrid of ska punk. Less Than Jake have also been cited as showing influences from a wide variety of genres including post-grunge, heavy metal, alternative...

, Luscious Jackson

Luscious Jackson

Luscious Jackson are an alternative rock group formed in 1991. The band's name was inspired by now-retired American basketball player Lucious Jackson....

, Ozomatli

Ozomatli

Ozomatli is a seven to ten piece band playing primarily Latin, hip hop, and rock music, formed in 1995 in Los Angeles. They are known both for their vocal activist viewpoints and their wide array of musical styles - including salsa, jazz, funk, reggae, rap, and others.In a 2007 NPR interview, band...

, Spearhead

Spearhead

A spearhead is the sharpened tip of a spear.Spearhead may also refer to:-Armed conflict:* Armoured spearhead, a tactical formation* Spearhead, nickname of the U.S. 3rd Armored Division in the U.S...

, and Supersuckers.

Other fundraising efforts include a variety of parties and auctions to raise money for the organization. At a recent auction during SNOWBOARDER Magazine's Superpark event in Keystone Resort

Keystone Resort

Keystone Resort is the largest ski resort in Summit County located in Keystone, Colorado, United States. It was founded on November 21, 1970 by Max Dercum. The resort is owned and operated by Vail Resorts which also operates three other resorts in the state and Heavenly Ski Resort and Northstar...

, the organization auctioned off dates with single snowboarders, such as Scotty Arnold and Hana Beaman

Hana Beaman

Hana Beaman is an American professional snowboarder who resides in Big Bear Lake, CA and Salt Lake City, UT. She has competed in snowboarding since 1988. -Career:...

.

Marketing Partnerships

In 2008, Boarding for Breast Cancer announced that they were assembling a team of athletes to help spread breast cancer awareness among youth populations. Professional snowboarders and surfers on the team include Tara Dakides

Tara Dakides

Tara Dakides, born August 20, 1975, is an American snowboarder and co-owner of O-matic Snowboards. She was born in Mission Viejo, California. She has snowboarded since she was 18 years old. She now resides in Mammoth Lakes, California.-Career:...

, Barrett Christy

Barrett Christy

Barrett Christy is an American snowboarder and Winter Olympics Athlete. She currently resides in Gig Harbor, Washington.Christy was a member of the first U.S. Snowboarding team during the 1998 Winter Olympics...

, Hana Beaman

Hana Beaman

Hana Beaman is an American professional snowboarder who resides in Big Bear Lake, CA and Salt Lake City, UT. She has competed in snowboarding since 1988. -Career:...

, and Holly Lyons.
Also, companies including Betty Rides

Betty Rides

Betty Rides was founded in 1993 by designer and women's snowboard apparel industry pioneer, Janet Freeman. The company is based in Portland, Oregon and manufactures women's snowboarding outerwear, gloves, hats, and streetwear...

, Billabong

Billabong

Billabong is an Australian English word meaning a small lake, specifically an oxbow lake, a section of still water adjacent to a river, cut off by a change in the watercourse. Billabongs are usually formed when the path of a creek or river changes, leaving the former branch with a dead end...

, Bonfire Snowboarding

Bonfire Snowboarding

Bonfire Snowboarding is a manufacturer of snowboarding outerwear.. Founded in 1989 by Pro Snowboarder and industry pioneer, Brad Steward, Bonfire specializes in men’s, women’s and children’s pants, jackets, gloves and accessories, as well as a new line of men’s and women’s boots. Bonfire has...

, Buff

Buff

Buff may refer to:* Buff , a pale yellow-brown colour* Buff , a multifunctional article of clothing produced by Original Buff, a Catalan company* Buff * A form of Status effect, a temporary beneficial effect in some video games...

, Burton Snowboards, CCS

CCS

-Geosynthetics:*Cellular confinement systems , a honeycombed geosythethetic matrix filled with granular material used for soil confinement, stabilization and reinforcement.-Places:*Abbreviation for Caracas, Venezuela....

, DC Shoes

DC Shoes

DC Shoes is an American company that specializes in footwear for extreme sports, skateboarding, snowboarding as well as snowboards, shirts, jeans, hats, and jackets.The company was founded in 1993 by Ken Block and Damon Way, and is based in Vista, California...

, DVS

DVS

DVS may refer to:* Developing Virtue Secondary School, a Buddhist secondary school in Talmage, California, USA- Organizations and companies :* Descriptive Video Service, a United States producer of video for the visually impaired...

, Electric, Element

Element

- Chemistry, electronics, or the geosciences :* Chemical element, a building block in chemistry* Electrical element, an abstract part of a circuit* Heating element, a device that generates heat by electrical resistance...

, Etnies

Etnies

thumb|Picture of an etnies shoeEtnies is an American footwear brand based in Lake Forest, California, and owned by Sole Technology, Inc. In 2003, etnies, along with the city of Lake Forest, California opened etnies Skatepark of Lake Forest, the largest public skatepark in the state, with over of...

, Flow Snowboarding, GNU

GNU

GNU is a Unix-like computer operating system developed by the GNU project, ultimately aiming to be a "complete Unix-compatible software system"...

, Hurley

Hurley

- Places :In the United Kingdom:* Hurley, Berkshire* Hurley, Warwickshire* Hurley Common, WarwickshireIn the United States of America:* Hurley, Iowa* Hurley, Mississippi* Hurley, Missouri* Hurley, New Mexico* Hurley, New York* Hurley, South Dakota...

, Nixon

Nixon

Richard Nixon was the 37th President of the United States.Nixon may also refer to:-Related to Richard Nixon:Movies*Nixon *Elvis Meets Nixon*The Assassination of Richard Nixon*Frost/NixonOther*Nixon Doctrine...

, North Face, Omatic Snowboards, Quiksilver

Quiksilver

Quiksilver, Inc. , is an American company based in Huntington Beach, California, one of the world's largest manufacturers of surfwear and other boardsport-related equipment...

, Reef

Reef

In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....

, Roxy

Roxy

-Brands:* Roxy , women's brand of clothing, accessories, and snowboards by Quiksilver company for surfing* The Roxy Theatre, music venue in Los Angeles & online source for music, arts, culture, and more.-Names:...

, Sessions (clothing company)

Sessions (clothing company)

Sessions is an American apparel company located in Scotts Valley, California .-History:In 1983, Sessions was founded in Sunnyvale, California by Joel Gomez, a skater from Santa Cruz, as a retail store and clothing line that bridged skateboarding, snowboarding, and music. Sessions started a mail...

, Skullcandy

Skullcandy

Skullcandy is a Park City, Utah-based company that markets headphones, earphones, hands free devices, audio backpacks, MP3 players and other products. The company was founded in 2003....

, Spy Optic, Transworld

Transworld

Trans World or Transworld may refer to:* Trans World , business simulation* Transworld , a publishing company in the United Kingdom-Companies:* Trans World Airlines...

, Urban Decay

Urban decay

Urban decay is the process whereby a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude...

, Vans

Vans

Vans is an American based manufacturer of sneakers, skateboarding shoes, BMX shoes, snowboarding boots and other shoe types.- History :On March 16, 1966, at 704 E. Broadway, in Anaheim, California, brothers Paul Van Doren, James Van Doren, and three other partners opened up their first store...

, Volcom

Volcom

Volcom, Inc. is a designer, marketer and distributor of young men's and young women's clothing, footwear, accessories and related products sold under the Volcom brand name. Volcom is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, United States...

 and Von Zipper have all offered Boarding for Breast Cancer branded products with proceeds benefiting the organization, and information on breast cancer awareness included in the packaging.

To support Breast Cancer Awareness Month, B4BC has partnered with various companies to raise money for breast cancer.

Recognition

B4BC's work has recognized by a number of organizations. Notable honors include:

• The SIMA Humanitarian Fund Award recipient
• Susan G. Komen for the Cure grant recipient
• DeVos Foundation grant recipient
• ESPN X Games + Winter X Games Annual Fundraiser beneficiary
• Warped Tour Take Action non-profit beneficiary
• Volcom Giveback Charity
• Disney VoluntEARS beneficiary

Additionally, B4BC has provided financial support to a variety of organizations including:

• The Breast Cancer Fund
• The Susan G. Komen Foundation
• The Nina Hyde Center For Breast Cancer Research
• A variety of regional breast cancer support organizations

Additionally, B4BC provides scholarships to breast cancer survivors through their Survivor Scholarship Fund, which seeks to enhance survivorship by connecting survivors with health and wellness programing.