Deborah Querques Belfatto

Founder

Deborah Q. Belfatto is a Founder of the North Jersey Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®. A twenty-two year breast cancer survivor, Deb co-founded the Affiliate in 1997 on the promise to “make a difference” to a ten-year-old girl who lost her mother to breast cancer. Under her leadership and guidance, the Affiliate has grown from a small organization operating from the basement of her home to an office in Summit, NJ with a staff of ten and hundreds of volunteers.  Deb served as the Executive Director of the Affiliate from its inception until November 2009.  She remains highly engaged and involved with the Affiliate in a leadership capacity.
 

February 16, 2012 Read An Important Message From Our Founder

Power of a Promise by Lindsay Belfatto

The Komen North Jersey Affiliate serves the nine-county northern New Jersey region (Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren).  Since its inception, the Affiliate has granted over $12.4 million to community-based agencies providing breast health education and breast cancer screening and treatment programs focusing on the medically underserved and underinsured.  In addition, the Affiliate has directed $5.5 million to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Award and Research Grant Program that supports innovative breast cancer research and a variety of meritorious awards.
 
Deb has received recognition for her leadership and contribution to the community from a variety of organizations, magazines and business publications. Most recently, Deb was named as the 2008 Patriots Path Council of the Boys Scouts of America Honoree. She was the recipient of the 2006 New Jersey Monthly Garden State Seeds of Hope Award and the 2005 Jean Hudson Gano Community Service Award presented by the Junior League of Summit. In addition, in 2005, Deb was named as one of 12 women selected to be part of “The Women of Summit” calendar, portraying women who understand putting the “Other Fellow First”.    In the spring of 2004, she received the “Woman of Vision” Award from the Junior League of the Oranges and Short Hills.  In the October 2003 issue of New Jersey Life, Deb was identified as one of 40 New Jersey People “Those-In-The-Know Know”, and in May of 2003 she was honored by the New Jersey Institute for Nursing as a recipient of their “Exceptional People Impacting The Community Award”. NJBIZ recognized Deb as one of New Jersey’s twenty-five “Women of Influence” in December 2002, and in April of that same year, she received the “Jean Harris Award” for exemplary community service and leadership from Rotary International.  Marylawn of the Oranges recognized Deb with their “Spirit of Achievement Award” in April 2001, and in June of 2000, she was the recipient of Shape Magazine’s “Circle of Life Award” for her dedication to the Komen promise to save lives and end breast cancer forever.
 
Deb is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) and served as Committee Chair for NEDA’s 2010 fundraising gala  and Vice Chair of its 2008 gala. She has also served on the committees of various charitable events and has chaired the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation/ North Jersey Chapter’s Fall Fashion Show and Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child’s major fundraiser, The Grand Prix. She has also been actively involved in the Alumni Association of  Marylawn of the Oranges and was a member of its Board of Trustees.  Deb attended Cabrini College.  She is the mother of twenty-four-year-old Lindsay, a student at New York University, and wife of Joseph Belfatto, Partner, Massey, Quick & Company.

2011 Essex County Recognition during the Italian-American Heritage month Celebration

2011 College of St. Elizabeth Honoree