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

PBCC President & Founder Pat Halpin-Murphy was recently elected as a Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania. Pat was presented with a medal and a citation by Governor Tom Corbett and First Lady Susan Corbett during an event at the Governor’s Residence. “The exceptional accomplishments of this talented group of women bring both honor and respect to Pennsylvania,” Governor Corbett said. “I am grateful for their continued commitment to making our state a better place.”

Pat was chosen for this honor because of her tireless work with the PBCC, as well as her service on Pennsylvania’s Cancer Advisory Board, and co-chairing the Pennsylvania Refunds for Research Committee. She also serves on a number of national boards and commissions and co-authored Breast Cancer: Covered or Not? A Guide on Insurance..

The Distinguished Daughters of Pennsylvania was established in 1948 as a way to honor women who have shown distinguished service through a professional career and/or voluntary service.

We were blessed to have her enthusiasm and dedication, and she rose through the ranks of the organization to eventually become our Executive Director. She earned many accolades for her tireless work. Thank you, Heather, for your 18 years of leadership and service to the PBCC and best wishes in your next endeavor! You will be truly missed.

I am pleased to announce that our Program Director, Jennifer Pensinger, has jumped in to the Executive Director role. Jennifer, who reached her 10th anniversary with the Coalition on August 5, brings great leadership, passion, and a thorough knowledge of the PBCC as an organization. We are thrilled that she accepted the position and look forward to her many contributions as Executive Director.

• Representative Garth Everett Team – 1,055 points (Williamsport Winners!)
• Swinging for Second Base – 790 points
• Chesapeake Energy Team 1 – 730 points
• Chesapeake Energy Team 2 – 500 points

Special thank you to all the media partners who came out to the event, including WNEP Channel 16, WBRE-TV and the Williamsport Sun-Gazette. Check out the video clip from WBRE here. Additionally thanks to the staff at the Crosscutters and our great volunteers who stayed throughout the entire day!  View all of our photos from the Williamsport Derby here. Next up: Lancaster on Saturday, July 28! Follow us @PBCC for live tweets during game days!

Thanks to all of our teams and spectacular volunteers at the Washington Wild Things. Check out the lineup of teams and individual batters below:

• Neuman’s Crew – 2,050 points (Washington Winners!)
• Bill Klenoshek’s Team – 1,425 points
• Representative Rob Matzie’s Team – 955 points
• Washington Financial Bank – 930 points
• Individual Batter Bill Klenoshek – 675 points

Congratulations to batter Bill Klenoshek, who is currently our overall individual batter winner with 675 points and of course our 7-home-run-batter Joe Oliphant!  Thank you to everyone who came out to the Washington Derby, and special thanks to the staff at Consol Energy Park for your support and entertainment throughout the day! Our volunteers truly appreciated the dance music in between batters! Everyone that was there made this a very energetic, silly and successful event for the PBCC. View all the photos from our day at the ballpark here.

• TESCO Tools Team 2 — 1,760 points (Erie Winners!)
• Icing on the Lake Team 2 — 1,575 points
• Icing on the Lake Team 1 — 1,210 points
• UPMC — 1,110 points
• Erie Times News — 1,095 points
• Enterprise Bank Team 1 –1,065 points
• Enterprise Bank Team 2 – 1,050 points
• TESCO Tools Team 1 – 1,015 points
• Marquette Savings Bank Team 1 — 885 points
• Best Buy Team 2 – 850 points
• Best Buy Team 1 — 815 points
• Go Erie.com — 805 points
• Marquette Savings Bank Team 2 — 740 points
• Individual Batter Blair Beer — 400 points
• Individual Batter Adam Edmonds — 350 points
• Individual Batter Jeff Ebersole — 280 points

Congratulations as well to all of our home run hitters:

• Brian King from TESCO Tools Team 2 — 1
• Eric Harpster from Icing on the Lake Team 2 –1
• Dustin Coleman from Icing on the Lake Team 2 — 1
• Jordan Bergado from Icing on the Lake Team 1 –2
• Blair Beer, Individual Batter –1

View all of the day’s photos at the Erie SeaWolves here. It was a fantastic day despite the weather as we raised awareness and funds for breast cancer survivors throughout the state. Special thanks to the great staff and management at the Erie SeaWolves, the PBCC staff loves their pink SeaWolves hats! Check out coverage of the event on GoErie.com and stay tuned for our next blog update! Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter (@PBCC) for live updates from each derby. Until next time!

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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Contact:   Jennifer Pensinger
Program Director
610-763-5937
717-721-2580 x101

Pat Halpin-Murphy, president and founder of the PBCC, encourages everyone to visit the exhibit. “Breast cancer is not a rare event separate from the fabrics of our everyday lives. It impacts our mothers, daughters and friends. We must educate ourselves about this disease and fight to find a cure now…so our daughters won’t have to.”

“We are very happy to have been given the honor to host the exhibit. It further reinforces the importance of breast cancer awareness and early detection as key components in fighting breast cancer,” said Jim Edwards, President/CEO of the Greater Hazleton Health Alliance. “This exhibit also compliments the Women’s Services, including digital mammography, that we provide at the Hazleton Health & Wellness Center and the already established events that we host every October during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.”

An opening reception is scheduled for Thursday, June 14^th at 6 p.m. The exhibit and reception are FREE and open to the public. To RSVP for the opening reception, please call 800-377-8828 x304. 

This work of art features women from each of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, along with a message about how breast cancer has touched their lives. The women reflect the diversity of Pennsylvania, and their stories show the impact of breast cancer on themselves, their families and their communities. The exhibit encourages women to learn about early detection and celebrates life, courage, hope and the dignity of women and families who have battled breast cancer. 67 Women, 67 Counties: Facing Breast Cancer in Pennsylvania is sponsored by the PBCC and funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

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 more information, please call 800-377-8828 or visit www.PABreastCancer.org.

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The PBCC’s Refunds for Research campaign encourages Pennsylvania taxpayers to donate all or part of their state income tax refund to support breast cancer research happening right here in the state. Every penny donated through the program goes to fund grants to researchers. Share the video below with your friends and family to raise awareness about this campaign and help us reach a goal of $3 million for research this year!

October is breast cancer awareness month, which is evident when you spot the Capitol Fountain in Harrisburg in its pink glory! First Lady Susan Corbett, who produced a video for the PBCC, was joined by Sheri Phillips, the Secretary of the Department of General Services, PBCC President and Founder Pat Halpin-Murphy, and PBCC Board Member and breast cancer survivor Debbie Freer for a kick-off event unveiling the pink fountain at the rear of the State Capitol Building.

Turning the Capitol fountain pink for breast cancer awareness month has become an annual event. The month-long pink fountain is sure to serve as a vibrant reminder of the importance and significance of breast cancer awareness to all who see it.