Dear Family Members and Friends:

This spring, I will be participating in a very special and powerful event in the fight against breast cancer. It is called the Avon Breast Cancer 3-Day walk. The event consists of a 60 mile walk beginning in Baltimore and concluding in Washington D.C. Over 3000 courageous men and women will join together and walk 20 miles each day from May 3-5, 2002 to raise money for breast cancer. I am asking for your help. Your donation will support the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade’s mission to fund access to care and find a cure for breast cancer. The net proceeds are distributed to community and national research programs around the nation to help with education and early detection of this disease, with a focus on medically under-served women.

This disease has touched many of us, whether personally, through a family member, friend or other loved one. I, myself, was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 35, and had to undergo surgery and chemotherapy to remove the cancer from my breast and lymph nodes. At the time I was diagnosed, the doctors had determined, by the size of the tumor, that I had had the disease for ten years. Cancer is a silent killer, and can go undetected for an extended period of time. This year over 182,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer. Over 40,000 will die. With your help, the Avon Breast Cancer 3-day walk will assist in providing low or no cost mammograms and post diagnostic services to aid in early detection.

My goal is to raise $3000 in donations by March 31, and I need your help. Would you please consider making a fully tax-deductible donation of $50.00 to help me meet my goal? For more information on how to make a pledge, please refer to the donation link. Please look the form over and designate an amount that you feel you are able to give to such a worthy cause.

It is my hope that young girls of today will not have to face breast cancer. But if they are diagnosed with this disease, it is my hope that they, too, will be survivors like myself. As you can see, I am not just standing for a cause – I am walking toward a goal! Thank you for supporting me in my fundraising efforts.

Yours truly,