Washington, DC— May 2, 2004 – Today at the closing ceremony of the first Avon Walk for Breast Cancer of the 2004 season, Avon Foundation President Kathleen Walas awarded initial gifts totaling $1,300,000 to local organizations Food & Friends, Howard University Hospital, Inova Health System Foundation at Inova Fairfax Hospital and the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University Medical Center. These gifts represent initial commitments from the $5,200,000 total raised by the more than 2200 participants in the event.

The ceremony, held at L’Enfant Plaza, capped a weekend-long event during which walkers covered up to 39 miles through the DC area. Supported by a staff of volunteer crew members, walkers ended their journey by learning how the funds they raised would be used to support women throughout the District and nationwide. Additional awards will be made throughout the year.

“Each of these institutions makes a huge difference not just to the individual patients they serve, but to everyone in the greater metro area,” said Walas. “Breast cancer affects everyone, and as long it exists, so will our commitment to funding initiatives to defeat this disease on both individual and universal levels, from DC to the United States to the entire world.”

During the weekend Avon Walk, the dates for the 2005 Washington, DC event – April 30-May 1* – were announced, and current participants started registering to repeat their experience. General registration is open online at www.avonwalk.org.

About the Avon Walk Washington, DC
The Avon Walk began early Saturday morning at L’Enfant Promenade. Walkers traveled through the District’s historic landmarks and monuments, dipping into Maryland and returning to DC towards the Wellness Village at DuFour Athletic Complex at Catholic University. At the Village, their home away from home for the night, participants celebrated their first day of success with yoga, massage and entertainment. The Village also provided the essentials to keep participants comfortable, including sleeping tents, hot showers, prepared meals and comprehensive medical services. Friends and family came out to visit their loved ones and show their support. Today, all walkers completed the final 13.1 miles of the route, returning to their point of origin— L’Enfant Promenade— for the closing ceremony celebration. Throughout the weekend, a dedicated all-volunteer crew cared for the walkers, ensuring their safety and supporting their needs.

About the Avon Foundation Gifts
DC-based Food & Friends was awarded a $50,000 gift, bringing the total Avon Foundation amount gifted to its Avon Pink Ribbon Delivery Program, which serves medically necessitated and specially prepared meals to breast cancer patients and their household members, to $650,000 over four years. In addition, in 2002 the Avon Foundation contributed $750,000 to fund the Avon Foundation Kitchen, a new state-of-the-art facility within the new Food & Friends headquarters scheduled to open this October. The full-time nutritionist funded by this year’s gift will provide home visits for clients with breast cancer to more accurately determine their nutrition status, make recommendations for nutritional intake, and provide education to the client and caregivers. The nutritionist also will reach out to provide education to thousands of women at local community events and workshops.

Howard University Hospital was awarded a $250,000 gift towards expanding breast cancer clinical care, bringing the total Avon Foundation gift to the hospital to $550,000 over four years. Howard will use the gift to upgrade its breast cancer education curriculum and expand outreach and screening programs in its community, which includes establishing transportation and similar enabling services so women can come in for treatment. The Hospital will also hire a patient navigator and will create a database management system to continue to advance clinical follow-up care. Howard is one of the few breast care resources left for the women in its community.

Inova Health System Foundation at Inova Fairfax Hospital was awarded $500,000 to continue the “Avon-Inova Cares Breast Cancer Network,” which over the past two years has served more than 3,000 women from over 66 countries of origin living in the greater metro area. With this “safety net initiative,” these women receive everything from education to clinical screening and diagnostic and treatment services. This most recent Avon Foundation donation will fund a program manager and a patient navigator to assure that women who attend the clinic will receive appropriate breast health care. They will also investigate access to health care issues related to this patient population.. With today’s gift, the Avon Foundation has awarded a total of $1,058,261 to Inova Health System since 2002.

A final $500,000 gift was awarded to the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at the Georgetown Medical Center, which earlier this month opened the “Capital Breast Care Center” (CBCC) through a previous $1,000,000 gift from the Avon Foundation. With this latest contribution, CBCC will hire medical and administrative staff as well as community health advisors and a supervising nurse practitioner to provide a full range of education, referral and patient services, and related social services. A portion of the funds will also be used to provide transportation for women so they have access to diagnostic and treatment services.

Earlier this year the Avon Foundation launched a new access to care initiative – "Supporting the Safety Net" -- to fund public and safety net hospitals that care for low-income, uninsured individuals. As part of the commitment to providing funding in communities where they are raised, throughout the year gifts will be awarded by the Avon Foundation to qualifying institutions in the areas of events, such as the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. For more information on Avon Foundation grant guidelines visit www.avonfoundation.org.

About the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer
The Avon Walks are a project of the Avon Foundation, a 501(c )(3) public charity, which also manages and disburses the funds raised. All net proceeds from the Avon Walks are returned to the breast cancer cause nationwide to support awareness and education; screening and diagnosis; treatment; support services and scientific research. Beneficiaries range from leading cancer centers to cummunity-based non-profit breast health programs, with a focus on reaching the medically underserved and a mission to fund access to care and finding a cure for breast cancer. Fore more than a decade, the Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade has been raising significant funds and awareness for the breast cancer cause. To date, the Avon Crusade has awarded more than $300,000,000 to breast cancer research and care organizations worldwide. Funds are raised through a wide variety of special events, product sales, walks, runs, concerts and other marketing initiatives worldwide.

The 2004 national sponsors for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer series include Novartis, Health magazine and RYKÄ, footwear for women; FIJI is the Official Water and United Airlines is the Official Airline.

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Avon Foundation Beneficiary Media Contacts:
Craig Shniderman, (202) 841-1364, Food & Friends
Derede McAlpin, (202) 238-2332, Howard University
Beth Visioli, (703) 504-3438, Inova Health System Foundation at Inova Fairfax Hospital
Lindsey Spindle, (202) 687-7707, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at the Georgetown Medical Center