STILLWATER — What started as Nancy Brinker’s promise to her dying sister is now the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists.

Brinker will serve as the keynote speaker for the Women for OSU Symposium on April 7 at the ConocoPhillips Alumni Center to share her passion for philanthropy and how it changed her life and empowered her to achieve success.

Brinker and a handful of dedicated friends created Susan G. Komen for the Cure in 1982, named in memory of her sister who died of breast cancer at 36. After forming the organization, Brinker was diagnosed with breast cancer, underwent aggressive treatment and is now a 20-plus year survivor.

At the symposium, Brinker will speak about “the power of one” — the ability of every individual to lead a fulfilling life of success and significance.

Brinker has experienced success first-hand as she transformed a small living-room operation into a billion-dollar global network. The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure is the most successful fundraising and education event for charity ever created. Her passion to end the shame, pain, fear and hopelessness caused by breast cancer has been the driving force behind her efforts to change the way the disease is discussed and treated.

In addition to her work with Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Brinker is known globally as an agent of change, serving as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Hungary from 2001 to 2003 and U.S. Chief of Protocol from 2007 to 2009. In May, she was appointed by the World Health Organization as Goodwill Ambassador for Cancer Control. She has received countless awards and recognition for her work including the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom and continues to dedicate her life to serving others.

The annual Women for OSU Symposium educates women about philanthropic planning and empowers them to be difference-makers in their communities. Last year 250 people attended the inaugural Women for OSU Symposium, hearing Olympic gold medalist and keynote speaker Jackie Joyner-Kersee share the impact charitable giving has on her life.

“Our goal is to educate women about the impact of philanthropy and motivate them to play a larger role in supporting those causes for which they feel passion,” said Pat Knaub, director of Women for OSU.

The Women for OSU Spring Symposium is a unique opportunity for those passionate about OSU to learn about financial planning, philanthropic decision-making and leadership skills development. Individual tickets to the symposium will be available in March at OSUgiving.com/women.

The mission of Women for OSU is to expand the critical impact of women as leaders and philanthropists in achieving OSU’s vision of becoming a premier land-grant university. Originally called Women in Philanthropy, the program was created within the College of Human Environmental Sciences in 1995 but was reorganized in 2008 to serve the entire university.