Chicago, IL --- More than 3,600 participants in this weekend’s fifth annual Avon Walk for Breast Cancer Chicago raised $8.3 million to advance access to care and finding a cure for breast cancer. At today’s Closing Ceremony at Soldier Field, Avon Foundation Executive Director Carol Kuzig announced three initial grants, with millions more slated to be awarded throughout the year. The initial grants are:

• Mount Sinai Hospital (Chicago, IL): $1,950,000 to support a task force which has been formed to address and find solutions for the critical issue of black/white disparities in Chicago breast care and mortality. The task force includes participation of the leading hospitals that care for the underserved populations in the Chicago area. Funds will support the program manager of the task force and an immediate study of two lower-income neighborhoods, North Lawndale and Humboldt Park, specifically to determine if the disparity results in part from unequal access to mammography or from reduced quality mammography screening. While focused on Chicago, the findings of the task force can help resolve disparity issues nationwide.
• Mercy Foundation f.b.o. Mercy Hospital and Medical Center (Chicago, IL): $1,000,000 to support a new program “Providing Solutions for Breast Care Disparities in Chicago,” with the funds specifically slated to support patient navigation and the purchase of two digital mammography machines, with the goal to increase capacity for screening and diagnostic mammography by 25%. Mercy will reach out to the entire population in the Chicago area and, in particular, to women on a one- to two-year wait-list for screening at Stroger Hospital.
• Robert H. Lurie Cancer Center/Northwestern University and Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Chicago, IL): $1,000,000 to support both breast cancer care and research, including: access to breast care for the underserved at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and the Erie Family Health Center; and research focused on clinical studies identifying markers for breast cancer prevention and treatment response, and characterizing molecular mechanisms of breast cancer growth, survival and metastasis.

About the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer
During the Avon Walk Chicago, walkers had a choice of walking a marathon (26.2 miles) or a marathon and a half (39.3 miles) over the weekend. The event kicked off early in the morning of Saturday, June 2, with an inspiring Opening Ceremony at Soldier Field, which included an immediate reminder of the impact of breast cancer through the remarks of Keiko Kimura, 35, a breast cancer survivor from Addison, IL. Kimura was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006, and completed her treatment this past December.

“You’re never prepared to hear news like a breast cancer diagnosis, and it was devastating to hear it at such a young age,” Kimura said, “I decided to walk as a ‘good bye’ to my breast cancer experience. Though I know that much of what I went through will never truly leave me, this walk is my way of ending on a positive note.”

In reference to a favorite superhero, Kimura named her walk team “Wonder Twins,” with the slogan, “Wonder Twin Powers— Activate,” noting that the activation of 3,600 participants will speed up an end to breast cancer.

Following the Opening Ceremony, walkers began their journey and were supported by a volunteer crew every step of the way, buoyed by cheering stations of family, supporters, and local residents. After completing the first day of walking, encompassing either a marathon or half marathon, participants spent Saturday night in two-person tents in the Avon Walk “Wellness Village” at Warren Park, complete with hot showers, prepared meals and live entertainment. On Sunday, June 3, walkers completed another half marathon (13.1 miles), ending back at Soldier Field where they were greeted by thousands of family and friends who shared in a celebratory and moving Closing Ceremony.

To participate in the Avon Walk Chicago, each walker raised a minimum of $1,800 in donations, which is managed and disbursed by the Avon Foundation [a 501(c)(3) public charity]. Funds raised by participants of the Avon Walks 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, all with a focus on the medically underserved.

Donations are still being accepted for the Avon Walk Chicago, and registration is open for the remaining 2007 Walks: Denver (June 23-24); San Francisco (July 7-8); Los Angeles (September 15-16); New York (October 6-7); and Charlotte, NC (October 20-21), as well as for the Avon Walk Chicago 2008. Already completed are the 2007 Avon Walk for Breast Cancer Washington, DC, and Boston.

From 2003 through 2006, the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer series raised more than $150 million. To register, donate or for additional information, please visit www.avonwalk.org or call 800-510-WALK.

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The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer thanks National Sponsor: Prevention Magazine; Official Sponsors: Airplus for her, Genentech BioOncology, Novartis Oncology and Reebok; and Official Water: FIJI.

Remember: early detection can help save lives. Schedule your mammogram or clinical breast exam today. For more breast cancer information and resources, visit www.cancer.org (keyword breast cancer) or www.avonfoundation.org, where you can access free printable breast cancer informational literature.