Quilting bank executives pitch in to aid Race for the Cure fund-raiser

GV/AN/VIEWSeamstress and Bank of Commerce employee Connie Decker points out the detailed pink-ribbon material used on the boarder of the Race for the Cure quilt Friday, Mar. 4, 2005. The quilt, made of old race T-Shirts, will be auctioned off this May.---View Photo Ronda Churchill

Two Bank of Commerce employees' fondness for quilting will now benefit the Susan G. Komen foundation through a quilt the two women designed to raffle as part of the annual Race for the Cure event.

Connie Decker, a senior vice president for the bank, and Robin Panek, executive vice president and chief financial officer, designed the quilt using old T-shirts from past races and various other materials with pink ribbon designs.

Decker got involved with Race for the Cure eight years ago when she first ran the race. She got involved with fund-raising four years ago, and last year she began serving as the local treasurer for the event and got Panek involved around the same time.

"I feel there is such a need for education and research for women and men with this disease," Decker said. "There are just so many people that are becoming affected by breast cancer."

Decker also has caused several other Bank of Commerce employees involved with the race, and many volunteer their time on race day to handle the money that is raised.

Decker started quilting 16 years ago, and taught Panek to quilt. When a fellow bank employee's wife was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago, the two women made a quilt for her.

"We enjoyed making that quilt for our co-worker's wife and we thought, why not make another quilt to raise money?" Panek said. "It was something that hadn't ever been done in Las Vegas, and whoever wins the raffle will have a truly one-of-a-kind quilt."

In addition to designing the quilt, Decker and Panek pieced together the top layer before turning it over to fellow quilter Karen Nolte, who volunteered her time to complete the project.

Decker got the idea for the T-shirt quilt last December after looking at her own collection of Race for the Cure shirts. She enlisted Panek's help with the design and contacted the Komen Foundation for help collecting shirts to finish the project. The two women started working on the quilt in late December, and Nolte completed the project in mid-January.

"They sent more T-shirts than we could even use, and they had all been worn in past races from across the country," Decker said. "The centerpiece of the quilt is one of the pink T-shirts survivors wear in the race, and we built the rest around that piece."

According to Decker, more than 750 survivors are expected to participate in the Race for the Cure this year.

"Seeing the sea of pink as the survivors go by during the race is very touching," she said. "This year will mark the 10^th anniversary of the race, so we're very happy that we could contribute this year. We'll definitely make another one next year."

The Las Vegas Race for the Cure raised more than $500,000 last year with the help of 13,000 runners. The foundation is expected to raise even more this year, and to up the number of participants to 15,000.

Each year 75 percent of the money raised by Race for the Cure goes to local communities to fund awareness and educational programs that deal with breast exams, screening and treatment of breast cancer. The remaining 25 percent is used to fund research nationally.

Race for the Cure is the largest 5K race held in the state of Nevada. This year's event will be held on May 7 in downtown Las Vegas.For more information on the Las Vegas Race for the Cure, visit www.komenlasvegas.com. To purchase raffle tickets for the T-shirt quilt, visit any of Bank of Commerce's three branches or call Connie Decker at 307-9800. Tickets also will be on sale at race headquarters the day of the race.