Kidman to Kick Off New Cancer Initiative
2 May 2003
Saks Fifth Avenue announced that actress Nicole Kidman, on behalf of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and as the very first Chair of The Women's Health Fund at UCLA, has agreed to become the first model for KEY TO THE CURE, a new women's cancer initiative founded in partnership with the Entertainment Industry Foundation and its Women's Cancer Research Fund.

"Sadly, cancer touches most of us in some way," said Ms. Kidman. "I'm honored to be invited by the Entertainment Industry Foundation and Saks Fifth Avenue to help bring more attention to this cause, and I'm also grateful for their crucial and generous support of The Women's Health Fund at UCLA. Together, I know we are going to raise a lot of money to find a cure for women's cancers."

Money raised through Saks Fifth Avenue's KEY TO THE CURE will benefit more than 60 charitable programs dedicated to finding new treatments and a cure for women's cancers nationwide, including EIF's Womens Cancer Research Foundation Fund and The Women's Health Fund at UCLA.

UCLA is home to one of only 13 academic medical centers in the United States designated as a National Center of Excellence in Women's Health, and one of only two in the West. This distinction recognizes UCLA as a model in the field, uniting research, clinical care, medical training and public health education.

"Nicole Kidman's support of the women's health programs at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, ranked sixth among medical schools nationwide in women's health, is an extraordinary philanthropic act," said Dr. Jonathan Berek, director of The Women's Health Program, as well as the principal investigator for numerous gynecologic research programs. "These dollars will support clinical and research excellence and will lead to research findings being translated to patient care in a relatively short time."

Christina Johnson, President & CEO, Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises said, "All of us at Saks Fifth Avenue are very excited about KEY TO THE CURE and to embark on this new relationship with the Entertainment Industry Foundation. We are enormously appreciative that Nicole Kidman is helping us kick off this year's campaign. This new charitable venture gives Saks an incredible opportunity to raise even more money to help improve women's lives. Since the majority of our customers and associates are women, we think that there's no better way to give back to the community we serve by raising not only awareness but also significant funds to help combat breast and other reproductive cancers."

Saks Fifth Avenue's initiative will be launched with a shopping weekend September 17-20 at all of its stores nationwide during which a percentage of sales will be made to local and national breast and women's reproductive cancer research centers. In support of this program, Ms. Kidman will appear in a national public service announcement (PSA) wearing the initiative's Danskin t-shirt designed by Stella McCartney, exclusively to benefit Saks Fifth Avenue's KEY TO THE CURE. The PSA will appear in major fashion and lifestyle magazines in September.

As a national sponsor of Saks Fifth Avenue's KEY TO THE CURE, Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) expects to make a substantial donation for this initiative through sales of a limited number of special edition 2004 CLK500 Cabriolets. Designed exclusively in support of Saks Fifth Avenue's KEY TO THE CURE, this all-new special edition of the latest convertible from Mercedes-Benz will become available for sale in September.

"Much of our philanthropic effort is aimed at education and empowerment," said Michelle Cervantez, Vice President, Marketing for MBUSA. "It is our hope that Saks Fifth Avenue's KEY TO THE CURE will help raise awareness and provide needed assistance to these organizations that help women deal with these terrible diseases."

Saks Fifth Avenue's KEY TO THE CURE is an expansion of its four-year program, which has already raised significant funds for breast cancer research and treatment to include all reproductive cancers. In order to broaden its scope, Saks has entered into this new relationship with the Entertainment Industry Foundation, Hollywood's philanthropic arm.

Saks Fifth Avenue initiated its shopping weekend in 1999; since then, the company has donated over $9 million to organizations throughout the United States. Organizations benefiting from these funds include New York's Mt. Sinai; Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai; Houston's M.D. Anderson; Boston's Gillette Center; the Susan G. Komen Foundation; and many others.

"The Entertainment Industry Foundation has been a long-time leader in raising money and awareness for women's cancer research," says Lisa Paulsen, President & CEO, Entertainment Industry Foundation. "On behalf of the entire entertainment community, we are thrilled to partner with Saks Fifth Avenue to strengthen our collective effort."

Celebrating 60 years of giving, the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) has distributed hundreds of millions of dollars and provided countless volunteer hours to support charitable initiatives that address some of the most critical issues facing our society.

Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises, a member of the Saks Incorporated group of stores, comprises 60 stores throughout the United States, 51 Off 5th outlet stores, and saks.com, the company's e-commerce site.

Source: Yahoo!

Submitted by David Harrison Levi Beverly Hills, CA. USA 90210