Covers for the Cure

To support the fight against breast cancer, safety cover manufacturer LOOP-LOC (Hauppauge, N.Y.) recently announced a $25,000 company donation to Susan G. Komen, a leading non-profit that provides cancer screenings, counseling, support and research funding.

LOOP-LOC has also initiated a program whereby homeowners can add a breast-cancer ribbon logo to their covers at a cost of $100 — 90 percent of which goes directly to SGK. The company is also encouraging all its employees and dealers to take part in the Race for the Cure.

According to LOOP-LOC's President and CEO LeeAnn Donaton-Pesta, the company carefully considered which cause and organization to support, an effort that led them to choose SKG.

"They are the only organization that addresses breast cancer on multiple fronts such as research, community health, global outreach and public policy initiatives in order to make the biggest impact against this disease," she recently told AQUA.

"Their staff is caring, supportive, informative and worked with us every step of the way to make this program happen," she added. "The SGK foundation makes such a big difference in the lives of millions of women and men that are diagnosed and are fighting this disease. We believe, as they do, that one day with funds and research that there will be a cure, and we are proud to support and assist in this mission."

SKG's beginnings date back to 1980, when Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan, that she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer. In 1982, that promise became the Susan G. Komen organization and what supporters such as Donaton-Pesta see as the beginning of a global movement in the fight against the disease, which impacts 1 in 8 women at some point in their life. According to breastcancer.org, more than 300,000 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with the disease in 2016.

While LOOP-LOC's plans include future company donations, Donaton-Pesta has been gratified by the response it's received from employees and especially dealers who have embraced the logo program. "We have dealers telling us that they are going to add the logo to every single cover they sell," she explained.

"We also had a call the other day from a longtime customer telling us that for every single order he places he wants us to add a $100 donation to the order, of which he is taking care of the cost. We always knew that the people in the swimming pool industry were caring, giving people, and these gestures and generous donations just goes to prove that."