Contact:
Christine Lessard
Arizona Institute for Breast Health
480-860-4200
chris@aibh.org

Arizona Institute for Breast Health receives proceeds from Keep A Breast event

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Scottsdale, Ariz. - Oct. 21, 2004 - More than $22,000 was raised for the Arizona Institute for Breast Health (the Institute) at the traveling art auction Keep A Breast, held at the Phoenix Art Museum on Saturday, Oct. 9.

More than 70 casts were on display and available for purchase through a silent auction that evening. Eight casts were also sold in a live auction. The most expensive cast, by Joan Baron of Scottsdale, sold for $1,650. The money raised will help the Institute provide free second opinions to anyone who has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

"The Keep A Breast event was an ideal fit for us, to partner with an organization dedicated to helping women with breast cancer, and to help us spread to word about what we do," states Mary Purkiss, board president for the Institute. "We are thrilled that the event was so successful in raising both money and awareness to help us continue to help women throughout Arizona."

Many of the Valley women who volunteered to be models for the plaster molds are breast cancer survivors and members of the Institute's board. Local and national artists decorated the torso molds with paint and mixed media to create original pieces of art that intrigue, inspire, and engage the viewer.

Launched in 2000, Keep A Breast is a breast cancer awareness campaign organized by Modart, a two-person collaborative exhibition organizer for action sports artists. Keep A Breast raises cancer consciousness and funding through the auctioning of one-of-a-kind plaster breast molds, individually cast on female volunteers and then customized by artists on Modart's roster. The program has had openings across the country, and has raised more than $100,000 for local breast cancer charities. Keep A Breast continues to grow year after year, with hopes of making it to all major cities in the USA and Europe. For more information, visit www.keep-a-breast.org.

About Arizona Institute for Breast Health

The Arizona Institute for Breast Health, a local 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, provides women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer a free second opinion as to their treatment options. Physicians and medical professionals volunteer their time for the Institute, which was created to give women the opportunity to receive the best possible information regarding treatment options for breast cancer. Founded by medical professionals, the Institute also presents seminars that address current breast health information and breast cancer prevention and treatment options.

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