Houston, April 13, 2008 --- The sixth annual Avon Walk for Breast Cancer season kicked off with the first-ever Avon Walk in Houston this weekend, which raised $1.9 million to advance access to care and finding a cure for breast cancer. The Avon Walk Houston was a huge success, with nearly 1,000 participants drawn from 32 states, including 88 breast cancer survivors, who joined together to raise lifesaving funds and awareness for breast cancer.

At the event’s Closing Ceremony at Eleanor Tinsley Park, Carol Kurzig, Executive Director of the Avon Foundation, announced a total of $1,228,500 million in initial grants awarded to local organizations, ensuring the funds raised immediately benefit the community. More grants are slated to be awarded throughout the year to breast cancer programs nationwide. The initial grants recipients include:

• Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) (Houston) received $475,000 for equipment upgrades to improve the quality of screening mammography in the Harris County Hospital District. BCM provides staffing and clinical management for breast cancer patients seen at Ben Taub General Hospital, one of two public hospitals in Harris County which provides services to the underserved. Accepting the Award was Dr. Jenny Chang, Medical Director of the Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Chang also served as the volunteer Medical Director of the Avon Walk Houston, leading the team from Baylor in their vital services all weekend as medical sponsor of the Walk.
• University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Bastrop) received $330,000 to expand its patient navigation and breast health education services to underserved populations at Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) General Hospital. MD Anderson Cancer Center provides oncology physician staffing and leadership to LBJ General Hospital, one of two Houston public hospitals which provides services to the underserved in Harris County facing breast cancer. The grant was accepted by Dr. Laverne Ingram, Radiologist at LBJ Hospital.
• The Rose (Houston) received a total of $323,500 for continued support of community awareness and access to mammography programs through the Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund, and for support to upgrade to state-of-the-art digital mammography technology through the Avon Foundation Safety Net program. The Rose is a nonprofit organization that provides services to the uninsured through a small professional staff and a large volunteer network of physicians and medical staff. The organization’s CEO, Dorothy Gibbons, accepted the grants.

• Two local community-based organizations received grants through the nationwide Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund that supports outreach, breast health education and linking women into screening services and follow-up care in partnership with local medical providers. The Julie Rogers “Gift of Life” Program (Beaumont) received an award of $60,000, which was accepted by Norma Sampson, Public Affairs Coordinator; and the Asian American Health Coalition (Houston) received $40,000, which was accepted by Karen Tso, Program Director.

"We are delighted with the results of our first Avon Walk for Breast Cancer Houston," stated Kurzig. "We have supported breast cancer organizations in Texas for many years, but the outpouring of support and generosity through the Avon Walk has allowed us to make substantial new grants that will benefit those facing breast cancer in Texas and nationwide."

About the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer
During the Avon Walk Houston, which is a noncompetitive event, women and men 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 Saturday, April 12, with an early morning Opening Ceremony at the Eleanor Tinsley Park. Following the Ceremony, walkers began their journey, traveling through the greater Houston area and concluding at the Avon Walk "Wellness Village" at Dyer Stadium, a “tent city” complete with two-person tents, hot showers, prepared meals, entertainment, and recreational activities such as the Reebok sneaker personalization station and the Fiji water pink carpet photo program. On Sunday, April 13, walkers completed another 13.1 miles together, ending back at Eleanor Tinsley Park where they were greeted by thousands of family and friends who shared in a celebratory and moving Closing Ceremony, including the awarding of new grants.

During the Closing Ceremony, walker and breast cancer survivor Mary-Helen Moreno of Houston was one of several speakers who provided an immediate reminder of the impact of breast cancer and the importance of access to care.

"It scares me to think of so many people who face breast cancer as I did, with no insurance, and no hope," said Mary-Helen. "That’s why I’m walking this weekend with my best friend and sister-in-law with my daughters cheering us on along the way. It’s a team effort."

To participate in the Avon Walk Houston, each walker raised a minimum of $1,800 in donations. Funds raised are managed and disbursed by the Avon Foundation [a 501(c)(3) public charity] and 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 Houston, and registration is still open for women and men to take part in the remaining Walks of 2008: Washington, DC (May 3-4); Boston, MA (May 17-18); Chicago, IL (May 31-June 1); Rocky Mountains, CO (June 28-29); San Francisco, CA (July 12-13); Los Angeles, CA (September 13-14); New York, NY (October 4-5); and Charlotte, NC (October 25-26).

To register, donate or for additional information, please visit www.avonwalk.org or call 800-541-WALK.

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