1,000 Breast Cancer Survivors And Hikers To Tackle Mount Tam In Spirited Bid To Fight The Disease

Breast Cancer Fund
Tuesday, 28 August 2001

San Francisco, CA -- Breast cancer survivors and their supporters will take on the Bay Area's highest peak on Sunday, September 16, as 1,000 hikers and volunteers climb Marin's Mount Tamalpais to raise funds for The Breast Cancer Fund (TBCF or The Fund). Participants will hike 11.5 or seven miles to the top of Mount Tam, which boasts some of the Bay Area's most spectacular views. With each hiker required to raise a minimum of $250, the goal of the hike is to raise $350,000. Corporate sponsors for The Fund's sixth annual hike include Alice@97.3, LUNA Bar, Wells Fargo, Avalon Natural Products, and Marin Outdoors.

"The hike is an incredible, spirited community challenge," says Susan Rehg of The Fund. "But while the focus is on fun, there's also a serious side. Breast cancer rates have almost tripled since the 1940s and continue to rise. With one in eight women now affected by the disease, if we don't change the status quo, one million American women will be diagnosed and half a million will die in the next decade. We're working to fight the disease the same way we climb mountains: one step at a time."

Proceeds from the PEAK HIKE will support The Fund's public education, advocacy and grant-making initiatives that seek to eliminate the preventable causes of the disease, particularly those in the environment, develop safe and reliable detection methods, identify non-toxic treatments and therapies, and secure access to care for all.

The Fund's priorities for 2001 include a launching a groundbreaking collaboration with AIDS organizations to help low-income women with breast cancer access medical care, and expanding Pathways to Prevention, a program that provides community education about reducing exposures to hazardous substances that may cause breast cancer.

The Fund will also host PEAK HIKES at Mt. Crested Butte, CO, and Delaware Water Gap, NJ. "Wherever they are, the PEAK HIKES offer an opportunity to raise funds to support critical breast cancer work," says Rehg. "And they also give friends and family a chance to show their support for women who have faced breast cancer with hope, courage and resilience."

For more information, or to contact Breast Cancer Fund, see their website at: www.breastcancerfund.org