San Francisco, CA, July 12, 2009 - The seventh annual Avon Walk for Breast Cancer season continued with the Avon Walk in San Francisco this weekend, which raised $6 million to advance access to care and finding a cure for breast cancer. The Avon Walk San Francisco is the sixth of nine Avon Walks this year, and the event attracted more than 2,800 participants drawn from 42 states, including 256 breast cancer survivors, who joined together to raise lifesaving funds and awareness for breast cancer.

Suze Orman, financial expert and Special Ambassador for the Avon Foundation, joined the festivities at the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in San Francisco. Orman brought her unique personal warmth and financial savvy to the thousands of women and men who came together to raise millions for this important cause.

During the Closing Ceremony at Speedway Meadow in Golden Gate Park, walker and 5-year-breast cancer survivor Mara Langer from San Mateo, California was one of several speakers who provided an immediate reminder of the impact of breast cancer and the importance of taking personal action to make a difference.

“I am here this weekend to walk my fourth Avon Walk, and to continue to tell my story of survival.,” said Mara Langer. “Breast cancer has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, as we lost both my grandmother and my mother to the disease. I’m battling my second diagnosis and believe in the ultimate healing power of faith and spirituality. That, and the power of the Avon Walk community, which continues to motivate and amaze me every step of the way.”

Suze Orman, financial expert and Special Ambassador for the Avon Foundation for Women, announced during the Closing Ceremony a total of nearly $2.4 million in grants to 10 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. “I am so proud to support the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer here in my hometown of San Francisco, and to have the privilege of presenting grants to these extraordinary organizations,” stated Orman. “The Avon Foundation has supported breast cancer research and care in San Francisco for many years, but the outpouring of support and generosity through the Avon Walk this year, especially in light of economic situation we are all facing, has allowed the Foundation to once again make substantial and much-needed new grants that will benefit those facing breast cancer in San Francisco and nationwide.”

The new San Francisco-area grants include:

• YWCA of Contra Costa County and Sacramento (Sacramento) received $35,000 to educate the community about breast cancer and the importance of early detection through health fairs and grassroots efforts. Accepting the award was Program Director, Sarbjit Kaur.
• St. Joseph’s Hospital (Stockton) received $60,000 to educate the community about breast cancer and the importance of early detection through health fairs and grassroots efforts. Accepting the award was Breast Cancer Nurse Navigator, Griselda Olivas.
• Cancer Resource Center of Mendocino County (Mendocino) received $125,000 to help uninsured, low income, and minority women receive high quality breast care. Accepting the award was Operations Manager Shelley Fields.
• Women’s Cancer Resource Center (Oakland) received $125,000 to help uninsured, low income, and minority women receive high quality breast care. Accepting the award was Executive Director, Peggy McGuire.
• Zero Breast Cancer (San Rafael) received $150,000 to continue its efforts engaging the community in breast cancer research and with a special focus at understanding why so many women in Marin County and the bay area get breast cancer. Accepting the award was Avon Walk walker and Community Outreach and Translation Core Coordinator, Buffy Martin-Tarbox.
• Project Open Hand (Oakland) received $200,000 to provides meals, grocery services and education programs for breast cancer patients and other critically ill patients. Accepting the award was Executive Director, Tom Nolan.
• Charlotte Maxwell Complementary Clinic (San Fran/Oakland) received $225,000 to support the delivery of complementary alternative medicine and holistic health for extremely low-income women in San Francisco and Oakland. Accepting the award was Program Coordinator, Linda Wardlaw.
• Stanford University (Stanford) received $300,000 for a research project to characterize a novel protein in breast cancer cells that associated with poor survival. Characterizing this protein receptor will provide a new class of targets for markers of disease and to develop new treatments. Accepting the award was Operations Manager, Sabrina Fong.
• Marin County Department of Health & Human Services (San Rafael) received $425,000 to support the development of a new, saliva based model for breast cancer risk assessment. This study aims to improve and enhance accuracy in breast cancer risk assessment. Accepting the award was Biorepository Director, Dr. Mark Powell.
• Avon Comprehensive Breast Center at San Francisco General Hospital (San Francisco) received $750,000 to help the hospital provide mobile mammography services, supports patient navigation, and provides genetic screening to uninsured women. Avon funds also purchase new, state-or-the-art equipment; support research studies and provide women access to the latest treatments and clinical trials. Accepting the award was longtime fellow walker Dr. Judith Luce.

During the Avon Walk San Francisco, 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, July 11th, with an early morning Opening Ceremony in Speedway Meadow, Golden Gate Park. Following the Ceremony, walkers began their journey, traveling through the greater San Francisco Bay Area and concluding at the Avon Walk “Wellness Village” at Crissy Field, a “tent city” complete with two-person tents, hot showers, prepared meals, entertainment, and recreational activities such as the Spa Zone, yoga, and new this year, Tomboy Tools’ “Tool School 101” demonstrations. On Sunday, July 12th, walkers completed another 13.1 miles together, ending back in Speedway Meadow, Golden Gate 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.

To participate in the Avon Walk San Francisco, each walker raised a minimum of $1,800 in donations. Funds raised are managed and disbursed by the Avon Foundation for Women [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 San Francisco, and registration is still open for women and men to take part in the remaining Avon Walks of 2009: Los Angeles, CA (September 12-13); New York, NY (October 10-11); and Charlotte, NC (October 24-25).

To register, donate or for additional information, please visit www.avonwalk.org or call 800-541-WALK. For information on the Avon Foundation visit www.avonfoundation.org.
 

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The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer thanks National Sponsor: Reebok; and Official Sponsors: Genentech BioOncology and Tomboy Tools.