More Than Just Bags: Vera Bradley Pickleball, Golf Tournaments Raise Over $40M For Breast Cancer Research

More Than Just Bags: Vera Bradley Pickleball, Golf Tournaments Raise Over $40M For Breast Cancer Research

More Than Just Bags: Vera Bradley Pickleball, Golf Tournaments Raise Over $40M For Breast Cancer Research Most shoppers know Vera Bradley for the brand’s colorful quilted duffle bags and accessories, but there is something more deeply woven into the fabric of the company: Breast cancer research. Vera Bradley co-founders Barbara Bradley Baekgaard and Patricia Miller established the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer in 1998, a few years after their dear friend and sales representative Mary Sloan lost her life to the disease. From that day forward, they vowed to fund breast cancer research through a portion of the company’s profits, as well as major annual events and fundraisers. Over nearly 30 years, the foundation has contributed $43 million to the cause. Pickleball players at the Classic. Photo courtesy of the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer A major factor of this philanthropic success is the nonprofit’s annual Breast Cancer Classic, in which donors and supporters play gol…