There are many ways you can help the PA Breast Cancer Coalition. From our Home Run Derby, to volunteering at any number of events, there is something you can do.
For the second year in a row, Jim Roberts is participating in the One Lap of America! Jim, a Corvette enthusiast from Mount Joy, combines his love of cars and passion for a cure with this seven day race around America.
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!
Baseball season is knocking and Mother Nature thinks it’s June. The PBCC’s 5th annual Take a Swing Against Breast Cancer home run derby will be touring the state this July. Registration is open and YOU can make a difference by registering online today! NEW THIS YEAR: Teams and individuals can fundraise their donations from friends, family and co-workers ONLINE! Check out the NEW PAHomeRunDerby.org! Start a team and ask your friends to join, create a special page on our website about why you are participating, solicit donations through Facebook, Twitter and email, and track your progress online.
We are also looking for a few good volunteers. If you and your co-workers, your children, or your neighbors would like to shag a few baseballs in the outfield, we can use your help! Volunteer registration is also available online.
Be sure to check out our July touring schedule and mark your calendars now! If you have any questions or need assistance through the registration process, call the batter’s box (ok, not really) but reach out to Kevin at Kevin@PABreastCancer.org or 800-377-8828 x109.
Fraternal twins Sam and Clay and their fellow classmates Delaney and Tyler were inspired to make change during October by collecting change with their Penny, Nickel, and Dime Wars fundraiser to benefit the PBCC. The foursome challenged students in every classroom at North Dickinson Elementary (Cumberland County) to compete with other classrooms by bringing in change and small bills from home. Students raised $3,065 on their own, with donations from the community bringing their grand total to $5,865.
Carlisle Regional Medical Center, the Tuckey Companies, the Phillips Group, Giant, and the North Dickinson Elementary School PTO joined in support of the students’ efforts with donations. The classroom that raised the most – Denise Stasyszyn’s combined fourth- and fifth-grade class – was rewarded with a pizza party courtesy of Little Caesars. But the impressive school wide effort was recognized by Dairy Queen with an ice cream party. Thanks to Sam, Clay, Delaney, Tyler and all the students, parents, teachers and staff of North Dickinson Elementary for showing that a little change can go a long way to helping in the fight against breast cancer!
Our Grassroots Partners are an important part of the PBCC family. This year alone, our community fundraisers have contributed $370,000 and counting to the PBCC, which has enabled us to do the work that we do on behalf of Pennsylvania’s breast cancer survivors and their families. Grassroots Partners are the lifeblood of the PBCC, powering us to work hard each day to make breast cancer history.
From athletic events to fashion shows, motorcycle rides to horse rides, restaurant specials and school contests – our Grassroots Partners have been inspired to selflessly give of their time and talent to help us in our mission. We are continually amazed by the ideas and energy that our Grassroots Partners have, and we are forever grateful for their contributions.
We hope that the success of our 2011 Grassroots Partners continues into 2012. With your help, I believe that is possible.
If you are inspired to make hope grow like our Grassroots Partners, consider setting up your own fundraiser for the PBCC. Or if you are unable to commit to coordinating a fundraiser, visit our Events Calendar to see when there is an event near you.
The PA Breast Cancer Coalition is pleased to have joined with Curves of Ephrata for a fundraiser throughout October, breast cancer awareness month. Marsha Lausch (left) of Curves of Ephrata presented a donation of $2,062 to Heather Hibshman (right), executive director of the PA Breast Cancer Coalition.
Curves held a silent auction made up of items donated by members throughout the month of October. Thanks for your support right in our backyard!
HARRISBURG, Pa. – “Pink Ribbon Stories: A Celebration of Life” (ISBN 978-0-9701379-7-5) by 10-year breast cancer survivor Tammy Miller offers hope and laughter from personal stories of battling breast cancer. Miller compiled over 120 entries from women and men whose lives have been touched by breast cancer.
Throughout her own diagnosis, Miller used her sense of humor on her journey. She went through her first breast cancer surgery wearing a clown nose and shoes while carrying a kazoo. For her second, she wore a pink feather boa. Miller’s sense of humor and optimism made her journey a memorable one for those around her.
Referencing “Pink Ribbon Stories,” Miller says “there are stories that will warm your heart; make you laugh; cause you to pause for reflection; and others that simply tell a story of a courageous journey through life. There are words and stories to encourage, inspire and make you smile. This book is one way I can show those who are battling breast cancer that they are not alone.”
“Pink Ribbon Stories: A Celebration of Life” is available online at http://pbcc.me/PinkRibbonStories or through your favorite e-reader’s store. Proceeds benefit the PA Breast Cancer Coalition.
About the Author:
Tammy Miller is an international speaker, author and speech coach. Her speaking topics include humor and healing, presentation and communication skills, brain aerobics, motivation and achieving goals. She is the owner of Tammy Speaks, LLC of Port Matilda, PA, and she enjoys helping others build their communication skills and achieve their goals in life. As an author, Tammy has written, “The Lighter Side of Breast Cancer Recovery,” about her personal journey of using humor to deal with her cancer diagnosis. And, “My Life is Just Speech Material… And, So is Yours,” is a valuable guide to discovering what to say and how to say it with your next presentation. She can be reached at www.tammyspeaks.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 more information, please call 800-377-8828 or visit www.PABreastCancer.org.
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Media Contact: Kevin Smith
717-721-2580 x109
Kevin@PABreastCancer.org
On Thursday, November 3rd, I had the pleasure of meeting with Lauren Egenrieder, a senior at Bermudian Springs High School. She held a 5K race on October 8th at Lake Meade to benefit the PBCC.
As her senior class project, Lauren worked with her advisor Mr. Jared Nace (pictured right) to develop the event. Thanks to sponsorships, registrations, and donations, Lauren raised $4,400 for the PBCC!
Thanks Lauren for your hard work and congratulations on your success!
Newlyweds Jennifer Telesco & Matthew Loftus, Jr. who are both dedicated teachers in the Scranton area, felt their wedding day was made even more special because of their choice to make a donation to the PBCC in lieu of favors. “Matthew and I have had many family members, friends, and colleagues fight a courageous fight against breast cancer. We were honored to do something to join them in such an important fight,” said Jennifer.
Their gift helps the PBCC continue its work on behalf of women and their families with breast cancer. Thanks to Jennifer and Matthew for their generosity and best wishes for a lifetime of love and happiness! If you would like to make a donation to the PBCC in lieu of wedding, bridal shower or baby shower favors – or to celebrate or commemorate any other occasion such as an anniversary, birthday, or reunion – contact us for details. We will gladly provide you with information about our organization and may be able to provide you with giveaways for your guests.
HARRISBURG, Pa. – The PA Breast Cancer Coalition (PBCC) gave an additional $100,000 research grant to Dr. Craig Meyers and his team at Penn State College of Medicine today. The announcement came at the 2011 PA Breast Cancer Coalition Conference held at the Hilton Harrisburg attended by over 1,000 people. This grant marks the single-largest research contribution made by the PBCC in its 18-year history and it follows a 2007 PBCC Pennsylvania Income Tax Refund for Research grant of $35,000 to Dr. Meyers.
Through this PBCC funded research, Dr. Meyers discovered that adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV2) kills breast cancer cells in every stage in the laboratory in tissue culture dishes. AAV2 is a nondisease-causing virus that kills human breast cancer cells and often infects humans. Preliminary research using AAV2 to treat breast cancer cells in a mouse model has also yielded promising results but needs further study.
“I’ve been working with this significant nondisease-causing virus that kills human breast cancer cells in the laboratory because we know that breast cancer has a complex structure and differing types,” said Dr. Craig Meyers, professor of microbiology and immunology at Penn State College of Medicine.
Referring to these exciting new findings as, “what, for decades, the medical community has worked towards and the rest of the world has been waiting for,” Pat Halpin-Murphy, president and founder of the PBCC said that her pioneering organization is thrilled to be part of Dr. Meyers’discovery of a virus that kills all stages and all types of breast cancer cells in the laboratory.
“Breast cancer survivors, their families, and all girls and women and those that care for them look forward to the final phase of this research–clinical trials with humans. While that final step may still be years away, it gives us hope that we will discover a cure so our daughters and granddaughters won’t have to. Dr. Meyers’ break-through is a real-world example that research is our best weapon in battling breast cancer,” added Halpin-Murphy.
Halpin-Murphy went on to say that “each day, 32 women in Pennsylvania are diagnosed with breast cancer and over 2,000 die every year from the devastating disease.”
“We are extremely grateful to the Coalition for their generous support of Dr. Meyers’ research,” said Richard J. Courtney, Ph.D., chair, Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Penn State College of Medicine. “The recent findings of his research group are very exciting; however, much additional research remains to be done. This grant will be instrumental in helping Dr. Meyers and his colleagues to further advance this highly promising breast cancer research ongoing within his laboratory.”
The PBCC established and oversees the Refunds for Breast Cancer Research program, which uses donations from Pennsylvanians to fund vital research grants across the state. State residents may contribute all or part of their state income tax refund to the Refunds for Research program to help find a cure. To date, Pennsylvanians have donated over $2.8 million with the average donation from taxpayers being $8. Thanks to the PBCC’s program, nearly 70 research grants have been awarded to outstanding Pennsylvania scientists.
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 and granddaughters won’t have to. For more information, visit www.PABreastCancer.org or call 800-377-8828.
Cooler temperatures, autumn leaves and Friday football games can only mean one thing at the PBCC…it’s Breast Cancer Awareness month once again! I continue to be amazed at people’s creativity and commitment when it comes to fundraising or special event ideas. I firmly believe that anything you enjoy can become a benefit for the PBCC. Do you golf…ride horses…snow tube…play softball…walk…have a motorcycle…make jewelry? Are you getting the idea?
Don’t let your talents go to waste. I challenge you to come up with something that’s never been done before. Every day our phone rings and someone is on the other end with an incredible idea for raising awareness about this disease.
Last week I attended a high school ice hockey game. It was Warwick vs. Hempfield…two powerhouse schools in Lancaster County. Marc Wizckowski, a senior for Warwick, turned the game into a fundraiser for the PBCC. He got special jerseys made, got raffle prizes donated, reserved the ice, and contacted local media. He did it all. And in the end, he raised $1,410 for the PBCC in one night. But more importantly, he got an arena full of fans to notice how powerful pink can be. The striking pink ribbons on the black jerseys, the pink grip tape on the hockey sticks, the girl working the door whose hair was pink for that night…it all led to an incredible sense of community and coming together for a cause.
That’s what Breast Cancer Awareness month is all about. I look forward to hearing the phone ring again today. Maybe the next amazing idea will be yours.
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For the second year in a row, Jim Roberts is participating in the One Lap of America! Jim, a Corvette enthusiast from Mount Joy, combines his love of cars and passion for a cure with this seven day race around America.
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!
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