Lee Myles Southeast PA has kicked off its annual Brakes for Breasts campaign, part of a nationwide effort by independent auto repair shops to raise money for the Cleveland Clinic Breast Cancer Vaccine Research Fund.
Through Oct. 31, customers of the locally owned auto repair company will receive free brake pads with the purchase of rotors and labor. Lee Myles will then donate 10 percent of each qualifying brake service directly to the research fund. Additional parts or repairs, if needed, are extra, the company said in a press release.
Dan Karst, an employee at Lee Myles Auto Care & Transmissions’ location in Kenhorst is ready for the Brakes for Breasts fundraising campaign that runs through Oct. 31. For every qualifying brake service, Lee Myles is contributing to breast cancer vaccine research.
(Courtesy Lee Myles Auto Care & Transmissions)
Lee Myles Southeast PA operates three repair shops in Berks that are participating in the Brakes for Breasts effort: 914 Fern Ave., Kenhorst; 6714 Perkiomen Ave., Exeter Township; 1051 Old Fritztown Road., as well as a drop-off, pick-up location, 320 Abington Drive, Suite 3C, Wyomissing. Owned by Jodi and Darren Knepper, Lee Myles Southeast PA provides general auto repair and transmission services.
Brakes for Breasts
Nationally, the Brakes for Breast campaign launched in 2011 with five independent auto repair shops in Ohio. The campaign has grown to include more than 100 independent shops across the U.S. and Canada and has raised $2,430,093 for the Cleveland Clinic Breast Cancer Vaccine Research Fund.
Lee Myles Southeast PA joined the campaign in 2019, according to Marketing Director Taryn Shillady, who has led the local campaign for the last four years. She said the company got involved once it learned about the campaign — and saw it as a “meaningful way to connect something we already do every day with a much larger cause.”
“Our customers are already coming to us because they need help with their vehicles. Being able to take something as ordinary as a brake repair and turn part of that service into funding for breast cancer vaccine research made a lot of sense to us,” she said.
The campaign has grown into something the Lee Myles team looks forward to every October, Shillady added.
Each October, Lee Myles Auto Care & Transmissions in Berks County participates in Brakes for Breasts, which raises money for the Cleveland Clinic Breast Cancer Vaccine Research Fund. The locally-owned Lee Myles locations have participated in the national event since 2019. In this photo are Darren and Jodi Knepper, owners of the Berks locations, holding a replica of the company’s first donation in 2019, with employees Brad Bauscher, Matt Siegfried and Sue Mosser.
(Courtesy Lee Myles Auto Care & Transmissions)
Since 2019, Lee Myles Southeast PA has donated $23,000 through Brakes for Breasts. Last year saw the highest donation to date — $7,514.35, Shillady said, adding that this year’s goal is $7,500.
“This year’s goal is essentially to maintain that level of impact and hopefully go beyond it,” she said.
The total goal is being broken down by location: Kenhorst — $3,000; Exeter — $2,500; and South Heidelberg — $2,000.
Something Personal
For Shillady, the Brakes for Breasts campaign has a personal connection.
“Breast cancer has been something I’ve worried about personally for years because of my family history,” she said.
In 2021, she found a lump in her breast — followed by months of appointments, imaging, referrals and follow-up before she received a clear answer. Shillady said she ultimately underwent a partial mastectomy to remove the lump, and the full biopsy was performed after the lump was removed.
“Thankfully, it was not cancer,” Shillady said, adding that the experience has stayed with her. “I had to keep advocating for myself when I knew something didn’t feel right, and I know what it feels like to be scared, wait for answers and think about what a breast cancer diagnosis could mean for you and your family.”
Reaching a Research Milestone
This year’s Brakes for Breast campaign comes as the investigational breast cancer vaccine research it supports reaches a new stage.
Lee Myles Auto Care & Transmissions in Berks County is participating in the annual Brakes for Breasts fundraising event to support the Cleveland Clinic Breast Cancer Vaccine Research Fund. For each qualifying Brake service performed through the end of October, the locations in Kenhorst, Exeter and South Heidelberg will donate 10% directly to the fund. In this photo left to right are: Joe George and Jorge Torres, employees at the Kenhorst Lee Myles. (Courtesy Lee Myles Auto Care & Transmissions)
Final results for Phase One, released by Cleveland Clinic, showed that the investigational vaccine produced an immune response in 74% of the 35 study participants and was found to be safe and well tolerated, according to the release.
The vaccine is being studied as a potential way to prevent triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat forms of breast cancer.
“Research like this takes time, which is why seeing that progress matters so much,” Shillady said. “There are auto repair shops all over the country doing this together, but I think there’s something really special about knowing that our customers right here in Berks County have helped contribute to it.”
The Lee Myles Auto Care and Transmissions locations in Berks have launched their annual Brakes for Breasts Fundraiser. Through Oct. 31, Lee Myles will donate 10% of each qualifying brake service directly to the Cleveland Clinic Breast Cancer Vaccine Research Fund. In this photo is Charles Waraksa, an employee at the Lee Myles location in Kenhorst. (Courtesy Lee Myles Auto Care & Transmissions)
How to Schedule
Shillady said the company sees an increase in brake work during the campaign, “so if someone already knows their vehicle needs brakes, we encourage them to schedule earlier in the month rather than waiting until October 30.”
Customers can schedule an appointment online at: https://aops.cc/lee-myles-auto-care-transmissions-b4b, or by calling any of the Lee Myles Southeast PA locations.
The Wyomissing office also serves as a dedicated pick-up & drop-off office. Customers can leave their vehicle there, and Lee Myles will transport it to one of the repair locations and return it when the work is complete at no additional charge. Customers can select vehicle pick-up and drop-off when scheduling online, or request it when making an appointment by phone.
The company also offers free local shuttle service and a limited number of loaner vehicles.
More information about the national campaign and the research it supports is available at BrakesForBreasts.com.
(Courtesy Lee Myles Auto Care & Transmissions)