Dr. Madeleine Wing Adler, president of West Chester University, and Pat Halpin-Murphy, president and founder of the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition, (PBCC), announced a news conference to support the PBCC's Income Tax Check-off program for Breast Cancer Research.

The event will be held on Wednesday, March 21, 2001, at 10:30 A.M. in the Philips Autograph Library, Philips Memorial Building, at the corner of High Street and University Avenue in West Chester.

Dr. Adler will be the keynote speaker. A breast cancer survivor, Dr. Adler chose to face this diagnosis by fully participating in educational efforts to help further research into and raise the awareness of this disease.

In 1997, through legislation initiated by the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition, Governor Tom Ridge established an income tax check-off provision allowing Pennsylvanians to donate all or part of their state tax refund to breast and cervical cancer research. To date the PBCC's Income Tax Check Off Initiative raised over $700,000 dollars for research to find a cure.

PBCC President and Founder Pat Halpin-Murphy, a West Chester alumna and also a breast cancer survivor, states that every penny of the money raised is presented as grants to researchers across the state.

Last year First Lady Michele Ridge, Honorary Chair of the PBCC, and Halpin-Murphy presented grants averaging $35,000 to six researchers from Fox Chase Cancer Center, Penn State University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Pittsburgh.

Halpin-Murphy chairs the Department of Health's committee which oversees the research grants.

"We are pleased to join forces with President Adler and West Chester University to promote this program," said Halpin-Murphy. "It is very appropriate that during Women's History Month, we call attention to the income tax check-off to fight the disease. It is also timely that this announcement comes during the week of West Chester University's 'Women's Summit, Lifting As We Climb: Women Leading in the 21st Century', featuring Linda Ellerbee, also a breast cancer survivor. "

"The Income Tax Check-off gives every Pennsylvania taxpayer the opportunity to help find a cure for breast cancer now," continued Halpin-Murphy, "so our daughters won't have to."

The Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition serves as the only statewide grassroots organization that speaks to and for breast cancer survivors. The PBCC represents patients, survivors, families, advocates, medical professionals, government, labor and business leaders who are dedicated to finding a cure for breast cancer.