Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), and The Safeway Foundation have collaborated on a second public service campaign featuring actress and SU2C Ambassador Marg Helgenberger.
The campaign, entitled “Together, We’re Creating a Brighter Tomorrow,” is designed to raise funds and increase awareness for the fight against breast cancer. The campaign launches October 1, the start of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Breast cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in women, with 1 in 8 women in the US affected each year. Through this public service announcement, SU2C and The Safeway Foundation encourage men and women to support vital research to find a cure for breast cancer.
“I am proud and honored to be a part of this campaign again and work closely with two organizations dedicated to eradicating this disease,” said Helgenberger, best known for her role as Catherine Willows on the CBS drama, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. “I stand up for my mother and stand strong alongside all the women and families who have been affected by this disease.”
The campaign will coincide with Safeway’s annual in-store Breast Cancer Awareness fundraiser, which offers customers multiple opportunities to give at more than 1,600 Safeway stores across the United States and Canada. The campaign will extend through November 3.
At the center of the public service campaign is a limited-edition, breast cancer awareness-themed reusable shopping bag. The bag will be available for purchase at all Safeway locations, including Vons, Pavilions, Tom Thumb, Randalls, Dominick’s, and Carrs stores, as well as online at safewayfoundation.org. Two dollars from the sale of each $2.99 reusable bag will go directly to breast cancer research. Additionally, Safeway shoppers will have a chance to make a separate donation at checkout stands.
“The Safeway Foundation is excited to work with Stand Up To Cancer and Marg Helgenberger again this year and to continue making strides in breast cancer research. With her personal connection to breast cancer, Marg continues to be a powerful voice for the cause,” said Larree Renda, Safeway Inc. Executive Vice President and Chair of the Safeway Foundation. “The research made possible by The Safeway Foundation and Stand Up To Cancer, as well as the passionate message delivered by ambassadors like Marg Helgenberger, can truly help save lives.”
The collaborative campaign represents a continued dedication to breast cancer research and awareness for both The Safeway Foundation and Stand Up To Cancer. To date, Safeway and The Safeway Foundation have raised $119 million for breast cancer causes. Some of those donations, provided by Safeway’s generous customers, have helped provide support to Stand Up To Cancer and the transformative cancer research it funds, like the SU2C Breast Cancer Dream Team. The team – led by Dennis Slamon, M.D., Ph.D., and Joe W. Gray, Ph.D. – is hard at work developing more effective, less toxic treatments for the three major breast cancer subtypes and addressing cancer cells’ ability to become resistant to therapies that are initially effective, which is one of the primary obstacles to successful treatment. Understanding this resistance opens the door to developing new therapeutic agents to overcome this critical problem.
“The Safeway Foundation has long been a prominent supporter of breast cancer awareness and research,” said Lisa Paulsen, co-founder of Stand Up To Cancer and CEO of the Entertainment Industry Foundation. “Stand Up To Cancer is honored to continue our work with The Safeway Foundation and Marg Helgenberger to help combat a disease that takes the lives of too many women.”
To learn more, visit www.SafewayFoundation.org or www.standup2cancer.org. To join the conversation, like us on Facebook at @StandUpToCancer or follow us on Twitter at @SU2C.
