The Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer was founded in 1993 by Vera Bradley Co-founders Barbara Bradley Baekgaard and Patricia R. Miller after the loss of their friend Mary Sloan to breast cancer. Their mission is to save lives and end breast cancer. Since 1998, the Foundation has raised nearly $17 million under the leadership of Drs. Hari Nakshatri and Kathy Miller. The Dearborn County Tour for the Cure program has raised over $37,000 for the Foundation since 2008 through tourism activities that allow visitors to support breast cancer research.