brinker. she was born december 6, 1946, in peoria, illinois. and is most notably known for her work with the susan g. komen for the cure foundation, the world's leading breast cancer, grassroots organization which has impacted millions of lives. this organization was established in memory of her sister, suzy komen, who passed away from cancer in 1980. ms. brinker since then has also founded the susan g. komen for the cure's signature program, the race for the cure, the largest series of 5-k run and fitness walks in the world. since its origin in 1983 in dallas, texas, the race for the cure series has grown from one local race with 800 participants to a national series of 112 races that yielded just over 1.5 million participants last year. ms. brinker's contributions to society extends beyond her work with the susan g. komen's centers. she has served in the government as chair of the president's cancer panel in the early 1990's. she then went on as the u.s. ambassador for hungry from 2001 to 20