05/13/2025
WHY PUEBLO? The question I am constantly asked is answered
(A message from our executive director)
The Becky Baker Foundation is the only breast cancer Resource Center in the United States, and it’s located in the Pueblo Mall, Pueblo, Colorado. Our Center offers No Cost shopping to any family affected by breast cancer.
Since we opened eight months ago, we’ve done amazing things and even gone beyond what we set out to do. We’ve helped over 11,000 shoppers, 1,400 families, and given over $3 million in merchandise to these Colorado families who’ve been touched by breast cancer.
The Pueblo Mall has been super generous and donated the store space to the Foundation, and the United Breast Cancer Foundation has given us all the merchandise to distribute to these families for free.
So, why Pueblo?
I could have set up our Center in other cities in Colorado, but I decided to launch it in Pueblo for a specific reason.
Throughout my life as an innovator, I’ve always tried to follow four main principles when considering any project:
1. Identify the problem
2. Can I do it with limited resources?
3. Am I willing to fail?
4. Is it a crazy idea?
In the spring of 2024, the United Breast Cancer Foundation reached out to me with an amazing opportunity. They wanted me to host “weekend shopping sprees” in a rented warehouse in any city in Colorado I chose. They’d provide all the merchandise, and my foundation would provide the space and distribute it to local breast cancer families. This was a unique chance for my foundation to help these families, many of whom often struggle financially.
The United Breast Cancer Foundation was really flexible with the program, letting me use my ideas to make it work. I applied my four principles to this project:
1. IS THERE A PROBLEM TO SOLVE?
My main concern is the negative impact of breast cancer on families. When a mom or wife gets a breast cancer diagnosis, their lives and the lives of their loved ones change forever. Without health insurance, the cost of treating breast cancer can be huge, even for families with middle-class incomes. And without insurance, the problems go beyond just money.
In many cases, husbands have to work multiple jobs, take care of their kids, and support their wives after the diagnosis. This can be a lot of stress for men, and sadly, some may even leave their families, making things even harder for the patient. This is a real concern and getting worse.
By giving these families thousands of dollars worth of new merchandise for free, we can help them focus on what really matters.
Seeing how important this service is, I wanted to take it to the next level. What if I could make it a permanent location instead of just doing the events on weekends? That way, we could help a lot more families.
After reading a Wall Street Journal article about Pueblo being the "poorest city in Colorado," I decided to focus on this location.
Here are some statistics that show Pueblo’s economic struggles:
- Average household income: $40,450, which is way lower than the state average of $72,330.
- Poverty rate: 23.5%, which is more than double the state average of 10.3%.
- Adult bachelor’s degree or higher completion rate: 18.9%, compared to 40.9% statewide.
- Median home value: $141,000, which is much lower than the state median of $343,300.
Pueblo became a no-brainer.
2. CAN I DO THIS WITH LIMITED RESOURCES?
Despite being one of the top breast cancer foundations in the country and consistently earning the GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency for eight years in a row, my foundation is still one of the poorest foundations in the nation. We rarely accept financial donations and mostly cover our expenses from our annual charity golf tournaments.
As we had no funds to hire paid employees, I needed a dedicated volunteer team.
I shared the project with my golfing buddy and close friend, Richard Baca. He was immediately on board and so was his wife, Henrietta. They joined the team as Store Co-Directors.
They then recruited Teri, who became the Director of our Volunteers, and we were off and running.
To display our merchandise, we needed tables. My friend and Board Chair, Kathy Reeves, owner of Top Notch Personnel in Pueblo, was so generous that she donated 40 tables.
To automate our reservation process, Staci, IT expert, spent many hours volunteering her time, to make that system seemless for our shoppers.
After a massive delivery of thousands of new items from UBCF, we were ready to make our dream a reality and held our first shopping day at our store in the Pueblo Mall on Saturday, September 8, 2024. We served almost 300 families that day.
For the past eight months, our team of five volunteers has operated this multimillion-dollar Center without any pay.
3. AM I WILLING TO FAIL?
Letting go has always been a weakness for me. For example, I refused to close some of my newspapers and magazines when the print industry was in a death spiral in the early 2000s, and that cost me financially. Admitting that I have failed has always been very difficult for me.
Starting the Resource Center was full of challenges. The Mall could cease donating the store space to us, our merchandise partner could stop sending new product, or, our volunteer team could face burnout.
I promised myself and our volunteers, that if the project didn’t work out, we would leave gracefully and be thankful for the families we served. We were sure we could make a real difference in the lives of many breast cancer families in Pueblo County, so it was worth the risk.
4. IS THIS A CRAZY IDEA?
Sure, it was a bit unconventional and not very practical, but the benefits were worth it. With over 4,000 families in Pueblo County who needed help, we saw a chance to make a big impact on their lives. We wanted to create a lasting legacy of support and hope, and through the hard work of our volunteers, that’s exactly what we’re doing today.
I still remember Zig Ziegler’s words from 1986: “Rick, if your vision doesn’t exceed your obstacles, you will fail.”
Because of our selfless volunteers, (including Dawn and Theresa, the newest additions to our team) the generosity of the United Breast Cancer Foundation, the Pueblo Mall and our friends such as Kathy Reeves, we’re overcoming our obstacles and making a bright future for our Resource Center, the breast cancer families in Pueblo County and the city we now call "home.
