Press Releases

100 percent of the proceeds from the sale of Athena pink wristbands to be distributed among six Seattle-area organizations

Athena Partners™ and Tully’s Coffee are excited to announce that proceeds from October sales of the Athena™ pink wristbands raised $60,000. All proceeds will be donated to six organizations in the Seattle-area that advance breast cancer research and/or provide education and support to those touched by the disease. The wristbands were sold at Seattle-area Tully’s Coffee retail locations.

"I am pleased to see the widespread community support for this initiative," said Trish May, founder and CEO of Athena Partners. "I see men, women and children all wearing Athena pink wristbands. Their generous support for the cause brings us one step closer to finding a cure and shows that together we can make a real difference."

"I am proud that Tully’s was the conduit for this important donation to cancer organizations in our community," said Tom T. O’Keefe, chairman and head barista of Tully’s Coffee. "The heart of all Tully’s employees is in our commitment to the community. I wear my wristband everyday in honor of the battle my mother lost with breast cancer and to increase awareness, and for all those who are touched by the disease."

Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and Virginia Mason Medical Center have been selected to each receive $25,000 to support highly promising areas of research for breast cancer: the development of biomarkers and vaccines.

Seattle Cancer Care Alliance will use the donation to expand its Breast Specimen Repository to include blood specimens from women. This new project will help investigators at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the University of Washington and other regional institutions to identify biomarkers in the blood of breast cancer patients that distinguish them from individuals who are cancer-free.

The donation to Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason will further the team’s research on the identification of a vaccine that has the potential to provide high-risk, early-stage patients with specific, long-lasting resistance to tumor cells. The team is also developing a breast tumor and blood repository from early stage breast cancer patients for use in this and subsequent breast cancer studies.

In addition, four community service organizations that further the awareness, education and support of breast cancer patients and their families in the greater-Seattle area will each receive $2,500. Those organizations are as follows:

• Cancer Lifeline, which will use the donation to develop an educational program and public lecture series;
• Gilda’s Club Seattle, which will provide educational lectures about cancer prevention, treatment and current research;
• Providence Hospice of Seattle, which will use the donation to help cover the costs of uncompensated and under-compensated care, outreach and education about hospice, its services and compassionate end-of-life care;
• Team Survivor Northwest, which will help support a new swim program, the "Strong Women, Healthy Women" program and educational speakers at an annual retreat.

Athena Partners, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) venture philanthropy company, is dedicated to advancing research and education to eliminate breast and gynecological cancers. A full 100 percent of the profits from sales of Athena™ bottled water is devoted to forward-thinking research to find a cure. Athena bottled water is available at Western Washington grocery stores, coffee shops, cafés, caterers and other specialty outlets. Athena Partners provides a comprehensive Internet search directory to leading national and Seattle-area cancer information and resources about women's cancers.

Founded in 1992, Tully’s Coffee Corporation is a leading specialty coffee retailer, wholesaler and roaster. Tully’s three operating divisions include retail, wholesale and specialty. The retail division operates specialty retail stores in Washington, Oregon, California, and Idaho, serving premium coffees from around the world, along with other complementary products. Tully’s corporate headquarters and roasting plant are located in Seattle at 3100 Airport Way S. For more information, call (800) 96-Tully or visit the Web site at www.tullys.com.

Backgrounder

BREAST CANCER RESEARCH STUDIES AND SUPPORT SERVICES

Funded by Athena Partners in partnership with Tully’s Coffee, October 2004

A total of $60,000 will be donated to six organizations in the Seattle area that are advancing important research to eliminate breast cancer and/or providing education and support services to those impacted by the disease.

Seattle Cancer Care Alliance: $25,000

Seattle Cancer Care Alliance will use the donation to expand its Breast Specimen Repository to include serum (blood) specimens from women. This new project will help investigators at Fred Hutchinson, University of Washington, and other regional institutions to identify biomarkers in the blood of breast cancer patients that distinguish them from those who are cancer-free. This advances work to identify breast cancer early when it is easiest to treat and also builds bridges between the breast cancer advocacy community, cancer patients, and physicians and scientists working together to eliminate the disease. Principal investigators using the repository will include: Sam Hanash PhD; Amanda Paulovich MD, PhD; and Nicole Urban Sc.D. SCCA unites three internationally renowned cancer care institutions—Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, UW Medicine, and Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center—to offer a variety of treatment options, designed from the latest research, for malignant and non-malignant diseases. www.seattlecca.org.

Virginia Mason Medical Center: $25,000

The laboratory research team led by Brad Stone, Ph.D. at the Benaroya Research Institute (BRI) at Virginia Mason will use the donation to run gene expression microarrays on RNA from breast cancer specimens. This will further their research on the identification of proteins suitable for use as targets in a novel therapeutic breast cancer vaccine. Identification of appropriate targets for vaccination has the potential to provide high-risk early-stage patients with specific, long lasting resistance to the outgrowth of residual tumor cells. The team is also developing a breast tumor and blood repository from early-stage breast cancer patients for use in this and other subsequent breast cancer studies.
Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason is dedicated to discovering the causes and cures of autoimmune and genetic diseases, to benefit patients with conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, cardiovascular disease and cancer. BRI has a clinical research program which conducts approximately 150 clinical trials every year. www.benaroyaresearch.org.

Cancer Lifeline: $2,500

Cancer Lifeline will use the donation to develop an educational program and public lecture highlighting psycho/social research on the effects of breast cancer on the woman, her spouse, and their school-aged children. Presentations, based on 18 years of this research, will be made by Dr. Francis Marcus Lewis, and Cancer Lifeline staff members, Ellen Zahlis, MN, Mary Ellen Shands, RN MN, and other members of the University of Washington School of Nursing research team. Cancer Lifeline, a local organization founded by a breast cancer survivor more than three decades ago, provides support and programs at no charge to optimize the quality of life for people living with all types of cancer. From three sites in the Greater Seattle area, Cancer Lifeline offers an array of programs and services including support groups, nutrition classes, yoga, Qigong and the healing arts. www.cancerlifeline.org

Gilda’s Club Seattle: $2,500

Gilda's Club Seattle will use the donation to provide educational lectures about the prevention, treatment and current research regarding all kinds of cancer. The Gilda's Club program of support groups, classes and education gives Northwest families a warm and inviting environment in which to find camaraderie, community and hope; the program is absolutely free. Gilda's Club Seattle works to ensure that no one in our community need ever face cancer alone. www.gildasclubseattle.org.

Providence Hospice: $2,500

Funds donated to Providence Hospice of Seattle will help cover the costs of uncompensated and under-compensated care, outreach and education about hospice and Providence’s services. Founded in 1975, Providence Hospice of Seattle is a recognized leader in our community for providing innovative services and compassionate end-of-life care for adults and children living with life-limiting illness throughout King County. The trained and dedicated staff offer medical expertise, emotional and spiritual support, and promote informed choices, comfort, management of symptoms and quality of life. Hospice services are provided wherever the patient resides. www.providence.org.

Team Survivor Northwest: $2,500

Team Survivor Northwest will use the donation to help support three important initiatives at Team Survivor Northwest: Providing trainers for a new swim program; Continuing the "Strong Women Healthy Women" program for newly diagnosed survivors; and Providing educational speakers for an annual retreat. Team Survivor Northwest provides a broad range of fitness and health education programs to enable women cancer survivors, in any stage of treatment or recovery and at any fitness level, to take an active role in their ongoing physical and emotional healing. Research has shown that exercise is a significant part of recovery and life enhancement for cancer survivors. www.teamsurvivornw.org