Participants from all over the northeast and across the country are training to participate in the region’s third annual weekend-long Avon Walk for Breast Cancer fundraising event, coming to Boston May 14-15. Funds raised will support breast cancer initiatives across the region and nation.
Boston, MA – March 1, 2005 -- With almost three months until the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in Boston, there’s still plenty of time to register and train for this important fundraising event. Dedicated women and men of the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer are taking on the challenge to walk either a marathon or a marathon and a half to raise money and awareness that will help defeat breast cancer
The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer Boston is a noncompetitive walk structured for all fitness levels and is one of eight Avon Walks this year. The event begins Saturday, May 14, at 6:30 a.m. at UMASS Boston Campus in South Boston and ends Sunday, May 15, at 4:00 p.m. at the same location after covering a 39-mile route in and around the Boston area.
On the first day – Saturday – participants have the choice of walking 13.1 or 26.2 miles – a half or full marathon. On Sunday, all walkers will complete another 13.1 miles, concluding with a celebratory closing ceremony that will include announcements of new local funding grants made possible by their journey.
Participants will spend Saturday night at the “Wellness Village,” their home away from home, located at Pine Banks Park in Malden, MA. The Wellness Village features two-person sleeping tents, hot showers, prepared meals, entertainment, volunteer massage therapy, comprehensive medical services, and other special services. Throughout the weekend, walkers are supported by a volunteer crew every step of the way, along the route and in the Wellness Village.
To participate in the Avon Walk Boston, each walker is required to raise a minimum of $1,800. Historically,
past walkers have raised an average of over $3,000 each. Last year’s Avon Walk Boston raised more than
$4.2 million. Funds raised at each event are awarded to local, regional and national breast cancer organizations
to support five areas of the breast cancer cause, including awareness and education, screening and diagnosis,
access to treatment, support services, and scientific research. Beneficiaries range from leading cancer centers to
community-based non-profit breast health programs.
When participants register for the Avon Walk Boston and the other events of the 2005 eight-city series, they are assigned a “walker buddy” to provide support in their fundraising and training initiatives. Those interested in participating should call 1-877-WALK AVON or go to
www.avonwalk.org.
The complete 2005 Avon Walk series includes: Charlotte, NC (April 16-17); Washington, DC (April 30-May 1); Boston, MA (May 14-15); Chicago, IL (June 4-5); Denver, CO (June 25-26); San Francisco, CA (July 9-10); Los Angeles, CA (September 17-18); New York, NY (October 1-2).
Avon Walk for Breast Cancer is generously supported by National Sponsors Novartis Oncology and RYKÄ, Official Water FIJI, and Official Sponsors Airplus for Her and Crystal Light.
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Participants have already registered for the Avon Walk Boston from across the state and surrounding areas. Media interested in speaking with local participants in training or local Avon Walk beneficiaries should contact Allyson Laughlin at allyson@youngnsavvy.com or call 310.779.9855.
Contacts:
Allyson Laughlin
310.779.9855
allyson@youngnsavvy.com |
Susan Arnot Heaney
212.282.5668
Susan.Heaney@avonfoundation.org |
AVON WALK FOR BREAST CANCER BOSTON
BENEFICIARY INFORMATION
The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer series is a project of the Avon Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity with the mission to improve the lives of women, focusing on breast cancer and domestic violence (www.avonfoundation.org) . There are eight Avon Walk events slated for 2005, and funds raised will be managed and disbursed by the Foundation to support five critical areas of the breast cancer cause, including: awareness and education, screening and diagnosis, access to treatment, support services, and scientific research.
Funds raised by the participants of the Avon Walk Boston, which takes place May 14-15, will be distributed to local and national breast cancer organizations. New grants to local beneficiaries will be announced at the Closing Ceremony on Sunday, April 15, at 4:00.
Currently Funded Boston-area Local Beneficiaries of the
Avon Foundation*
| Organization |
Location |
Funding mission |
| Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center |
Boston, MA |
To support the establishment of the "Avon Foundation
Gene Expression Laboratories" at MGH devoted to
the translation of gene "signatures" into useful prognostic
tools that can be used for treatment planning purposes
in individual patients. Funding also supports access
to clinical care for the medically underserved. |
| Boston Medical Center |
Boston, MA |
To continue its multidisciplinary program of delivering
clinical care to poor, uninsured women at all six community
clinics in the BMC network. |
| Cambridge Health Alliance |
Cambridge, MA |
To support an increase in their screening program from
11,000 to 18,000 women in four target cities densely
populated with minority populations (Latino, Asian,
Haitian and African American). |
| Dana Farber-Harvard Cancer Institute |
Boston, MA |
Recipient of five Avon-NCI Progress for Patients Awards
(see below). |
| Norris Cotton Cancer Center Dartmouth |
Lebanon, NH |
Recipient of Avon-NCI Progress for Patients Award (see
below) |
| Family Health Center of Worcester, Inc. |
Worcester, MA |
Breast health education and navigation into low- and
no-cost screening services for the medically underserved. |
| Latino Health Institute, Inc. |
Boston, MA |
Breast health education and navigation into low- and
no-cost screening services for the medically underserved. |
| REACH Community Health Fuondation, Inc. |
North Adams, MA |
Breast health education and navigation into low- and
no-cost screening services for the medically underserved. |
| Roxbury Comprehensive Community Health Center |
Roxbury, MA |
Breast health education and navigation into low- and
no-cost screening services for the medically underserved. |
| Tapestry Health |
Florence, MA |
Breast health education and navigation into low- and
no-cost screening services for the medically underserved. |
| YWCA of Boston |
Boston, MA |
Breast health education and navigation into low- and
no-cost screening services for the medically underserved. |
| YWCA of Malden |
Malden, MA |
Breast health education and navigation into low- and
no-cost screening services for the medically underserved. |
| YWCA of Southeastern Massachusetts |
New Bedford, MA |
Breast health education and navigation into low- and
no-cost screening services for the medically underserved. |
| Visiting Nurse Association of Cape Cod |
South Dennis, MA |
Breast health education and navigation into low- and
no-cost screening services for the medically underserved. |
| The Witness Project of Connecticut, Inc. |
Bridgeport, CT |
Breast health education and navigation into low- and
no-cost screening services for the medically underserved. |
| Hartford Hospital |
Hartford, CT |
Breast health education and navigation into low- and
no-cost screening services for the medically underserved. |
| Case Western Reserve University |
New Milford, CT |
Recipient of Avon-NCI Progress for Patients Award (see
below). |
| Elliot Health Systems |
Manchester, NH |
Breast health education and navigation into low- and
no-cost screening services for the medically underserved. |
| Gifford Medical Center |
Randolph, VT |
Breast health education and navigation into low- and
no-cost screening services for the medically underserved. |
| YWCA of Northern Rhode Island |
Woonsocket, RI |
Breast health education and navigation into low- and
no-cost screening services for the medically underserved. |
Currently Funded National Beneficiaries Providing Nationwide Services*
| Organization |
Funding mission |
| AVONCares program of Cancer Care, Inc. |
Provide financial assistance and support
services to qualified individuals undergoing breast cancer treatment.
Cancer and Careers |
Cancer and Careers
(cancerandcareers.org) |
Provide online support services for women
managing careers through treatment for breast cancer. |
| National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund |
Provide educational tools and support and
navigation services for individuals diagnosed with breast cancer, as
well as their partners/spouses. |
| Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization |
Provide educational tools and support and
navigation services for individuals diagnosed with breast cancer, as
well as their partners/spouses. |
| American College of Radiology Imaging
Network |
Funds support a national clinical trial on
the efficacy of ultrasound as a screening tool in high-risk women and a
fellowship in the subspecialty of breast imaging. |
| Avon-CDC Mobile Access Program |
Funds support multiple mobile mammography
vans that provide breast health education and screening to hard-to-reach
women in outlying, rural communities. |
| National Cancer Institute |
A $20 million gift supports phase I and II
clinical trials in breast cancer. |
| National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences |
Funds supplement the new NIEHS Breast
Cancer and the Environment Research Centers Initiative |
*These are from among hundreds of Avon Foundation-funded organizations and
institutions nationwide. For complete information visit
www.avonfoundation.org. |
