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(Wilkes
Barre, PA) The Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition
joins forces with local medical and community leaders
tomorrow to support the PBCC's Income Tax Check
Off program. The rally takes place tomorrow, March
28, 2000 at 2:00 p.m. at the Thomas P. Saxton Medical
Pavilion in Edwardsville, near Wilkes-Barre.
In 1997, through legislation initiated by the
Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition, Governor
Tom Ridge established an income tax check check-off
provision allowing Pennsylvanians to donate their
state tax refund to breast and cervical cancer
research. In its first two years the program
raised more than $500,000. One hundred percent
of the money raised is presented as grants to
researchers across the state. So far 17 research
grants have been presented from this program,
including six that were handed out by First Lady
Michele Ridge, Honorary Chair of the Pennsylvania
Breast Cancer Coalition on March 1st.
Pat Halpin-Murphy, President and Founder of
the PBCC, co-chairs the PA Department of Health's
committee, which awards the research grants. "The
Income Tax Check-off gives every Pennsylvania
taxpayer the opportunity to help find a cure
for breast cancer now... so our daughters
won't have to," said Halpin-Murphy. We are thrilled
to join forces with our friends in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
area to promote this invaluable program."
Tomorrow's rally includes remarks from:
- Charlotte Asherman, Executive Director of
the PBCC
- Dan Kopen,
M.D., Wyoming
Valley Health
Care System
- Susan
Begasse,
CRNP,
Northeast
Regional
Cancer
Institute
- Rose
Tucker,
Maternal
and
Family
Health
Services,
Former
Luzerne
County
Commissioner
- Dorothy
Tribus,
Past
President
of
the
Luzerne
County
Commission
on
Women
- Sister
Kate
Morris,
Bishop
Hoban
High
School,
breast
cancer
survivor
The Income Tax Check Off for Breast and Cervical
Cancer Research continues to be the favorite among
state taxpayers. This year more than 30,000 Pennsylvanians
donated their state tax refunds to breast and cervical
cancer research, with an average donation of $8
per donor. It is one of five donation lines on
your state tax form.
The Pennsylvania
Breast Cancer Coalition,
founded in 1993,
is a non-profit
organization. It
serves
each of the state's 67 counties though programs
such as the Income Tax Check Off program, Mother's
Day Mammograms®, the Keystone Breast Cancer
Conference and "67 Women, 67 Counties: Facing
Breast Cancer in Pennsylvania." The Pennsylvania
Breast Cancer Coalition's mission is to find
a cure for breast cancer and to improve the quality
of breast cancer education, outreach and research
in the state. For more information call 1-800-377-8828.
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