Kansas City, Mo. (July 28, 2009) — Save lives and save money at the same time Oct. 12-18 during Back in the Swing Retail Therapy Week. The signature fund-raising event has funded programs in Kansas City to make our city the leader in post-treatment care for breast cancer survivors.
During the full week, more than 850 metro-area stores and restaurants dress up in pink ribbons, banners and window stickers to raise awareness of post-treatment care for breast cancer survivors. This year marks the biggest event ever with more than 42 shopping centers and hundreds of participating stores and restaurants honoring the Back in the Swing Retail Therapy Shopping Card that gives shoppers up to 20% discount on everything from slippers to salmon for seven glorious days.
Cards are available August 14 online at www.BackintheSwing.org, as well as a listing of participating stores and restaurants where card buyers can experience the joy of giving and receiving. More than 100 stores will sell cards throughout the metro. And, for the first time ever, Back in the Swing has partnered with all area Hen House Markets to sell cards. The full 100% of the $25 Shopping Card purchase price is donated to local breast cancer survivorship programs and research through Back in the Swing®, the local nonprofit organization founded in 2000, in affiliation with the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. Corporate sponsorships help underwrite the cost of the event.
Annette Bloch, and her daughter Linda B. Lyon, Kansas City philanthropists, are 2009 honorary chairmen of Back in the Swing Retail Therapy.
Back in the Swing is the first and only national, grassroots nonprofit organization exclusively dedicated to providing awareness, access, and financial support for multidisciplinary, personalized, post-treatment clinical and supportive healthcare, and academic medical research in the field of breast cancer survivorship. For more information, visit www.backintheswing.org.
In its first six years, over $2.5 million has been raised through the generous support of the community to help Back in the Swing establish Kansas City as a leader in breast cancer survivorship movement across America. Back in the Swing grants to local medical centers and supportive care agencies to support Kansas City breast cancer survivors’ physical, emotional and practical health care needs. Studies funded by Back in the Swing are now being presented at national conferences based on the research conducted exclusively in Kansas City.
Back in the Swing Grants provide the most complete city-wide, comprehensive, clinical and supportive care network of lifelong services promoting joyful, healthy and proactive living after breast cancer in any city in America, elevating breast cancer survivorship to the same level of care and attention as prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Grantees in 2009 include Saint Luke’s Medical Center, Shawnee Mission Medical Center, Truman Medical Center, The University of Kansas Cancer Center, North Kansas City Hospital, Cancer Action and Turning Point.
For more information about the programs funded by Back in the Swing, go to www.BackintheSwing.org or call 913-385-BITS.