Did you know that every three minutes, another woman in the United States is diagnosed with breast cancer? Every three minutes. Because I cannot ignore this shocking statistic, I’ve made a commitment to work toward changing it, and I need your help.

On 5/5/12- 5/6/12, I'll spend the weekend walking, along with thousands of other people, in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. I will walk at least the distance of a marathon (26.2 miles), and I may choose to walk as far as a marathon and a half. I will also raise at least $1,800 in donations to the cause. I'll have to spend the next few months training, fundraising, and preparing for the event. It's the biggest challenge I've ever taken on, but I'm very excited about doing it because I know it will make a real difference to the millions of people affected by breast cancer.

The money raised is managed and disbursed by the Avon Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity with a mission to fund access to care and finding a cure for breast cancer. The Avon Foundation funds both local and national organizations in five key areas: medical research; education and early detection programs; clinical care; and support services, all with a focus on the medically underserved.

Please help to support my efforts and this critically important cause by making a generous contribution. You can make your donation online by simply clicking on the link at the bottom of this message. Please remember as you're making your donation that in less than the time it took to read this letter, another woman in the U.S. was diagnosed with breast cancer.

You can also help me by passing this message along to others who may be interested in being a part of the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. Here is the main website for any other information or any donations you might have. When you go to the page, click on DONATE NOW. Our team name is DEPinkLadies and then it will ask for my first and last name!

www.avonwalk.org

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Ashley Hearn & DePinkLadies group