Hospitals and non-profits across the country compile videos every year in hopes of raising money for local and national breast cancer organizations.  Penn State Hershey used a strong social media and online presence to promote its 2012 video submission for the PA Breast Cancer Coalition.  Each hospital department choreographed its own routine to Katy Perry’s “Part of Me” with featured guests like the Penn State Nittany Lion and patients of all ages.  Hundreds of thousands of votes were tallied and we are thrilled to announce that Penn State Hershey was awarded second place in the contest with a prize of $5,000!  The Medical Center has generously offered to donate all of that money to the PBCC.

“This may be the most creative and enthusiastic show of support the PBCC has ever seen.  It’s incredible,” said PBCC President and Founder Pat Halpin-Murphy.  “The PA Breast Cancer Coalition is truly grateful for the time, dedication and generosity of the Penn State Hershey staff.

Each day, 32 women in Pennsylvania are diagnosed with breast cancer.  Each year, more than 2,000 of those women will lose their lives to the disease.  With the help of the Penn State’s contribution, the PBCC aims to improve the quality of breast cancer education, research, programming and outreach in the state.   Thank you Penn State Hershey!

In case you didn’t get a chance to watch Penn State’s Pink Glove Dance video, you can watch it here:  Pink Glove Dance 2012
You can read more about Penn State Hershey’s Cancer Institute and the competition here:  Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute

So, what is this whole Extraordinary Give thing, anyway?  It’s a 24-hour online giving marathon hosted by the Lancaster County Community Foundation during which the PA Breast Cancer Coalition has an opportunity to raise thousands of dollars to support women and families in Pennsylvania.  Beginning at midnight, November 30, anyone in the world can log on to ExtraGive.org, search for the PBCC and give a donation of $25 or more.  During that time, the Community Foundation will choose donors for special incentives.  For example, during the “Midnight Madness” hours of 12am – 3am, the Foundation will select a donor at random and throw in a little “Extra” to whichever organization that person chose to support.  Click Here for more information on prizes or head to ExtraGive.org.
Find out why many PBCC supporters have chosen to donate:

Will YOU Give to the PBCC?

If you’re undecided, we’ve chosen the Top 5 Reasons why you should consider it:

1.  All of the money will stay right here in Pennsylvania.   $.83 of every dollar we receive goes to support our programs and services.

2.  The need is great.  32 women in Pennsylvania will be diagnosed with breast cancer TODAY and more than 12,000 will be diagnosed this year.

3.  Research.  Scientists and doctors in PA are breaking ground on possible new treatments every day, but they cannot continue their work without funding from nonprofits like the PBCC.

4.  Advocacy.  There are no questions too big or too small.  The PBCC staff works to find the answers, treatments and resources for women every day.

5.  Because we need to find a cure now.  Each one of our programs at the PBCC supports that mission. From our Friends Like Me Care Packages to our Refunds for Research program, the PBCC relies strongly on contributions from the community to continue our work.

For 20 years, we have been fortunate to have generous donors, volunteers and Grassroots Partners.  The PBCC has set an Extraordinary Give goal of $3,200 – $100 for each woman in PA diagnosed with breast cancer every day.  Help us continue our mission for the next 20 years by setting aside a little “Extra” and participating in this year’s Extraordinary Give on November 30!

#PBCCgive
ExtraGive.org
pbcc.me/Give

www.GoPinkatPocono.org

For Immediate Release

For PA Breast Cancer Coalition:
Heather Hibshman, 717-721-2580
For The Martel Group:
Rob Ziemba, 717-480-8610

Harrisburg, Pa. – The summer heat of August may be three months away — but a new fundraising partnership is already burning up the pavement for a statewide non-profit organization. The PA Breast Cancer Coalition (PBCC) recently teamed up with Lebanon-based Bill Martel Racing to promote breast cancer awareness and education at the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Pocono Mountain 125 and The Pennsylvania ARCA 125 – Presented by Menard’s. These events will take place during the first weekend of August at The Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, PA.

Go Pink at Pocono benefits the PA Breast Cancer Coalition and event organizers are searching for supporting sponsors to join them in victory lane. Multiple sponsorship levels are available and include race car and race truck logos, event tickets, pit tours, driver meet-and-greets and more! Inaugural Go Pink at Pocono race t-shirts will also be for sale and are sure to be a hit. Race veteran Kyle Martel of Lebanon will drive one-of-a-kind pink vehicles during two events at the Pocono Raceway.

“This unique event will take the message of breast cancer awareness and early detection to thousands of Pennsylvania families,” said Pat Halpin-Murphy, president and founder of the PBCC. “We are extremely grateful to Bill Martel Racing for joining forces with the PBCC.”

“We are both honored and excited to promote the PBCC at one of the most visible races in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – and for one of the best causes in Pennsylvania,” said Rob Ziemba, V.P. Sales and Marketing for Bill Martel Racing and The Martel Group. “The winner will be the PBCC because the money stays in Pennsylvania.”

Ziemba concluded by saying “we are racing for a reputable Pennsylvania organization and have the right race team and driver in place to help raise as much money and awareness as we can. We want to cross the finish line with the PBCC and do our part to help find a cure for breast cancer now…so our daughters won’t have to.” 

To sponsor Go Pink at Pocono, and to request additional information, please contact Rob Ziemba at rziemba@hanovercoldstorage.net. For more information about Bill Martel Racing, visit www.kylemartel.com.

The PBCC represents, supports and serves breast cancer survivors and their families in Pennsylvania through educational programming, legislative advocacy and breast cancer research grants. The PBCC is a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to finding a cure now…so our daughters won’t have to. For information call 800-377-8828 or visit www.PABreastCancer.org.

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Jim expects to log over 5,000 miles for the 2012 race starting in South Bend, Indiana then off to Plymouth, Indiana, Joliet, Illinois, all on the first day. By the next day, they are due in Council Bluffs, Iowa by 8 a.m. and then off to tracks in Oklahoma, Colorado, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin and back to South Bend. By the end of that circuit we will have traveled over 3300 miles plus the miles on each of the tracks, all from Saturday to Saturday.

Jim and his transit driver Steve Barrett have several sponsors and have once again added a fundraising component to the race. For a donation of $10 or more and they will put a Pink Ribbon sticker on the car with your name or a loved one’s name so you can “ride along” on their One Lap of America!

If you would like to donate please send your donation to Jim Roberts at 14 W. Main St., Mount Joy, PA 17552. Please make any checks payable to PA Breast Cancer Coalition. And be sure to follow Jim and Steve as they travel around America over the next couple of weeks on Jim’s blog!

Take a read through our online edition and share it with your friends!

With such a large state to work in, we are tasked with what seems impossible with eight full-time employees. Volunteers make the mission of the PBCC achievable. In 2011, we had 302 individuals from all over PA give up their time for a greater good. Jobs included reviewing Refunds for Breast Cancer Research grant applications, presenting or moderating a workshop at our conference, staffing an information table at a health fair, speaking at a fundraiser, shagging baseballs at a Home Run Derby, assembling and customizing Friends Like Me Care Packages, and many more.

The only thing we can say (and we say it every day): thank you. Thank YOU for donating your valuable time to the mission of the PA Breast Cancer Coalition. In total, we had 1738.5 hours logged by volunteers across the state. That is OUTSTANDING! Volunteers saved the PBCC $37,134.36 in 2011! I don’t need to tell you that this is incredible!

Thanks to people like you, we are able to keep our doors open and serve the women and families of this great state! Stay tuned for opportunities to get involved at various events across Pennsylvania. If you don’t already receive our monthly e-newsletter Pink Link, sign up! And if you’re interested in volunteering, complete our interest survey and we’ll be in touch!

Here’s to 2012!

Over 60 women were assisted by our patient advocacy efforts.  Nearly 1,000 breast cancer survivors, advocates, health care professionals, and community and corporate leaders attended the PA Breast Cancer Coalition Conference in October. $100,000 was given to Dr. Craig Meyers at the Penn State College of Medicine to further his promising research into a virus that kills breast cancer cells that could potentially lead us to a cure. Grassroots Partners raised over $425,000 to enable us to continue our efforts on behalf of women and their families.

In 2012, we remain committed to representing, supporting and serving breast cancer survivors and their families in Pennsylvania. We renew our commitment to the goal of finding a cure for breast cancer now…so our daughters won’t have to.  Please join us!