Pink Ribbon of the Month, April: Fred Stein, Senior Producer, The Creative Group, Inc.

If you've ever attended the Susan G. Komen Philadelphia Race for the Cure, Komen Philadelphia Pink Tie Ball, survivors luncheon or any other Komen Philadelphia Affiliate event, the reason you cherish it is our dedicated, talented and generous friend, Fred Stein. From the Survivors Parade of Pink to the Kick-Off Under the Stars, so much of what distinguishes our movement and defines our success is the child of Fred's mind, as well as his heart.


 

Although you've probably never even see Fred - for he thrives behind the scenes - his spirit has touched us all. In every aspect of the term, he is the "Star Visionary" behind the regional breast cancer movement - which is why in this sharing of his story, we start with our Race Kick-Off Party, held this past February.

 

The 20th Anniversary Celebration of the Susan G. Komen Philadelphia Race for the Cure was officially kicked off in 2010 with a stellar parade of visionaries, key people, who from the first day the Race was just a dream, believed in its power, empowered its growth and made it a major force in changing the face of breast cancer in our community. Not only was this historic parade of visionaries the brainchild of Fred Stein, Senior Producer of the Creative Group, Inc., but without a doubt, Fred himself was a star visionary... leading the way twenty years ago as one of the first to fully invest himself professionally and personally in the Komen Philadelphia Race for the Cure.

 

Fred's involvement with the Race started with a simple request from a friend, who at the time was head of the advertising/PR firm representing the Race: "This event really needs some help, Fred... oh, and by the way, they have no money."  The rest, as they say, is twenty years of history of saving lives and empowering generations for a future without breast cancer.

 

"My initial involvement was simply me doing a favor for a friend," said Fred, who has an event-planning list of credentials including everything from the Race, to opening the Paris Las Vegas Casino, to orchestrating ceremonies for the likes of Hamid Karzai, and celebrations such as Mobile Alabama's 300th anniversary. 

 

"My life hadn't personally been touched by breast cancer at the time. I wasn't looking to further the business's charitable initiatives. But before the end of that first Race, it was Elaine Grobman that endeared me to the Komen mission... Elaine, the first Race Co-Chair, Phyllis Roseman, and a small but mighty group of women whose commitment and loyalty to fighting breast cancer was unlike anything I'd ever experienced."

 

Elaine Grobman, Executive Director of the Komen Philadelphia Affiliate and the Komen Philadelphia Race for the Cure for all twenty years, speaks equally as highly of Fred's contributions. "It's easy to sum up: we simply would not be the force we are today without Fred's complete and utter dedication, resourcefulness and generosity," said Grobman. "He has been with me - with all women of our community - every step of the way. He believes in the dream and will not stop until a world without breast cancer is a reality."

 

So, in 1991, Fred took the first step in a journey that would forever change his life, becoming the first - and only - event planner and coordinator for the Komen Philadelphia Race for the Cure.

 

"My friend was correct, the Race needed help," said Fred. "So the first thing I did was contact Manifique Décor in Manayunk for huge pink balloon arches to grace the Race site. We hung some very simple signs and, overall it seemed the thousand or so people who came out that first year had a great experience."

 

That first year and several years afterward, those signs and the now signature pink balloon arches that herald more than 6,000 breast cancer survivors at the Race, were donated by Fred. He also brought in "man power," enlisting the help of his teenage children and their friends, whom he put up in a nearby hotel and put to work the Saturday and Sunday of Race weekend. Like Fred, many of those teens, especially his son, Neil who was ten when he first got involved, continue to this day with their involvement with the Race and the Komen Philadelphia Affiliate... on an even deeper level.

 

As the years went on, Fred helped establish the Race, bringing in other suppliers, volunteers and resources with whom he had connections. In speaking of the Race's progression through the years, he fondly recalls the "Pierogi Guy":

 

"We weren't sure how many would show up, but we knew we had to feed them. So we found a vendor... 'the Pierogi Guy' who distributed pierogis and soft pretzels. Even at seven in the morning, he was a big hit. We basically took what we could find until several years later, Wawa magically appeared and now they feed tens of thousands."

 

When asked why he does all he does for the Race, Fred refers back to Manifique Décor, who at the time was owned by Phebe Bartholomew Runyon. In 1991, Phebe was a spitfire determined to make her small shop in Manayunk into to a decorating powerhouse... no one ever dreamed she would later die of cancer.

 

"It just shows you the magnitude of what we are fighting, no one is beyond its grasp and it takes a force like Komen and this entire community coming together to take it down."

 

Almost immediately after the inaugural Race, Fred found other ways to contribute to the success of the Komen Philadelphia Affiliate and today is on call for event planning, consultation, and basically anything that is asked of him.

 

"From our gala Pink Tie Ball, to intimate thank you parties, and all the way up to something as grand as our 20th anniversary Race celebration, Fred willingly and thankfully does anything I ask of him... and believe me, I ask a great deal," said Grobman with a smile.

 

So exactly how much time, money and effort do Fred's year-round contributions - which, in addition to the Race include the Komen Philadelphia Pink Tie Ball® for all of its nine years, the Celebrate Life! survivors luncheon, the Komen Philadelphia Affiliate P.I.N. Stripes quarterly young professionals events, at least three educational outreach events per year and more - encompass?  According to Grobman, it is beyond measure and value. However, Fred estimates $30,000-$40,000 per year in work and resources. As for time, well, as he puts it, "I'll still be packing up my gear after the Race is over and get a phone call from Elaine with ideas for next year... so, I'd say about noon on Mother's Day is when I get started for the next year."

 

But clearly, Fred wouldn't give it up for anything.  For him, one of the most gratifying moments of Race day comes at about 4:30 AM on Mother's Day, when it's still dark and, standing at the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, he takes in the tranquility of about 1,000 volunteers seeing to all the last-minute details, just hours before more than 120,000 people will descend on the site.

 

"The fundraising our Race achieves is phenomenal, there's no doubt," said Fred. "But more than that, this Race has created an awareness about breast cancer like no other event or movement. It started out with a few women and has grown to a region-wide awareness that, woman by woman, one life saved at a time, will one day soon end this disease forever."

 

Pictured: Fred Stein in one of the early years of the Komen Philadelphia Race for the Cure, discussing a last-minute detail with Elaine Grobman.