Thank You Avon!

The Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund awarded The Rose a $70,000 one-year grant to the Empower Her® Sponsorship Program to increase awareness of the life-saving benefits of early detection of breast cancer. This is the sixth year that the program has received Avon Foundation funding to support its work on this important health issue, and in recognition of the excellence of the program.

“We are so pleased that the Avon Foundation shares our mission and has chosen to support our program. With these funds we will be able to serve hundreds of women—for some our services will mean saving their lives,” says Dorothy Weston Gibbons.

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women in the U.S., and the leading single cause of death overall in women between the ages of 20 and 55. While advances have been made in prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure, early detection still affords the best opportunity for successful treatment. Nationwide, there is a new diagnosis every three minutes and a death from breast cancer every fourteen minutes. In the Houston area, one woman dies from breast cancer every day. At the 2009 Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, over 1,000 participants raised more than $1.8 Million for breast cancer research and support. Pictured above: Members of Team Raquel formed in honor of Rose Garden Support Group member Raquel L.