NEW YORK, May, 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Susan G. Komen Greater NYC Young Professionals Committee (YPC) announced today that Ange Kagame, the daughter of Mr. Paul Kagame, the current President of the Republic of Rwanda, will be joining the YPC.

Ange Kagame the daughter of Paul Kagame, the current President of the Republic of Rwanda, Nancy Brinker, Susan G. Komen(R) Founder & Chair of Global Strategy, Award-winning journalist, best-selling author, international speaker & honoree, Joan Lunden, Eric Brinker, Komen Ambassador and Impact Awards Co-Chair and Sandra Kozlowski Komen Greater NYC Board of Directors Chair.

Ms. Kagame made her first appearance as a member of the YPC at The Impact Awards luncheon on May 20, 2015 at the New York Hilton Midtown (www.komennyc.org/impact). She was the guest of Sandra Kozlowski, YPC founder and Komen Greater NYC Board of Directors Chair, and Eric Brinker, Komen Ambassador and the son of Susan G. Komen founder Nancy G. Brinker and nephew of the late Susan G. Komen.

"We are very excited to have Ange join the Young Professionals Committee," said Ms. Kozlowski. "We have a great group of people who are committed to raising breast cancer awareness and funds to defeat the disease once and for all. Ange will be a fantastic addition to our mission."

"I am thrilled that Ange is joining the Komen Greater NYC YPC," stated Mr. Brinker. "Ange has a unique perspective that goes beyond the New York City area. Komen has been working in Africa for several years to bring awareness and screening to the continent and her point of view will be valuable to the Young Professionals."

The YPC is comprised of rising young professionals and entrepreneurs who share the goal of engaging a new generation in the culture of philanthropy by inspiring them to help Susan G. Komen achieve its vision of a world without breast cancer.

Ms. Kagame will help the YPC identify new fundraising strategies to support innovative grassroots breast health programs that provide services to underserved residents in New York City, Long Island, Westchester, and Rockland Counties, as well as to raise awareness of breast cancer worldwide.

"I am so excited and truly honored to be a part of such an amazing and inspiring charity," says Ms. Kagame. "Philanthropy is an area in which I have always had a strong interest, since my mother founded Imbuto Foundation, which is a non-profit organization whose mission is to support the development of a healthy, educated and prosperous society. I hope to continue her good work with Susan G. Komen Greater NYC and raise awareness of breast cancer both in New York and Rwanda. We continue to build capacity at all levels since breast cancer is among the most prevalent cancers in Rwanda – routine medical checkups are provided for women 35 and older and men 40 and older to aid in early detection. Overall, breast cancer is a significant and growing problem in lower and middle income countries. I'm looking forward to building awareness for early detection and recovery."

The YPC hosts two events every year, Paint the Park Pink and Pink Rocks the Rock, and has a large team for the Komen Greater NYC Race for the Cure. Paint the Park Pink took place on February 5, 2015 at The Bryant Park Grill with nearly 300 guests who helped raise awareness of breast cancer and funds to help medically underserved local women. Pink Rocks the Rock is an annual YPC summer celebration and Komen Greater NYC Race for the Cure kick-off event. Pink Rocks on the Rocks will be held at the Rink Bar in Rockefeller Center on Tuesday, July 21, 2015.

About Ange Kagame
Ange Kagame is the second child and only daughter of Paul Kagame, the sixth and current President of the Republic of Rwanda and the leader of Rwanda's majority party, the Rwandan Patriotic Front. Recently, Ange graduated with a major in Political Science and a minor in African studies at Smith College and will utilize these skills to pursue her philanthropic interests in female empowerment, education, sports and public health. Ange's passion for giving back to the global community was instilled in her by her mother, Jeannette N. Kagame, who founded two charitable organizations in Africa, African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS and Imbuto Foundation. With her new appointment as part of The Susan G. Komen Greater NYC Young Professionals Committee (YPC), Ange intends to assist in raising awareness of breast cancer. Ange is an enthusiastic basketball and soccer fan, as well as a lifelong follower of the Boston Celtics and Arsenal Football Club.

Blog: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ange-kagame Twitter: @AngeKagame

About Susan G. Komen® Greater NYC 
Founded in 1990, Komen Greater NYC is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2015. Since 1999, Susan G. Komen Greater NYC has awarded more than $46 million in grants to a wide variety of community partners and invested in cutting-edge breast cancer research programs.  In the last five years alone, we have helped more than 830,000 women, men and families in New York City, on Long Island, and in Westchester and Rockland Counties. Twenty-five percent of every dollar raised funds national breast cancer research while seventy-five percent of the net monies raised goes right back into the communities to help the women, men and families in our service area. This year, Komen Greater NYC is awarding $1.64 million to 25 local breast health programs as well as $700,000 for national breast cancer research to find the cures. For more information, please visit www.komennyc.org or call 212-293-CURE.

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