Casts of top femal surfers auctioned for breast cancer

[KAB]

Keep A Breast Launches New Website Featuring Online Auction of Celebrity Casts to Promote Breast Cancer Awareness

— First auction will be double whammy of top female surfers Kassia Meador and Prue Jeffries—

May 4, 2005, San Diego, CA—The Keep A Breast Foundation, a nonprofit breast cancer awareness organization, today announced it has launched a new website at http://www.keep-a-breast.org that will feature a “Cast of the Month,” plaster forms of the female torso customized by fine artists and auctioned online to raise funds for breast cancer research, treatment and prevention programs.

The first auction will be a double whammy, with casts of pro surfers Kassia Meador and Prue Jeffries painted by artist Bodie Shaw. Shaw recently animated the all-girls surf adventure film, “Fashion,” produced by Meador and Jefferies. Casts of many Roxy team riders, including Layne Beachley and Rochelle Ballard, will auctioned in future months. Well-known artists such as Maharishi and Lucy Mclaughlan will also be participating.

Roxy and Keep A Breast have partnered on several international fundraising benefits in the past, and will be hosting a joint event at Roxy Jam UK on May 22 in Perranporth, Cornwall. At Roxy Pro Hawaii in November 2004, over $22,000 was raised for the Kapiolani Breast Center and the Rell Sunn Fund. Veronica Kay’s torso painted by Roxy artist Alessandra Cabral was the top-selling cast. The two organizations also partnered for the inaugural Keep A Breast event at Roxy Surf Jam France last year.


About The Keep A Breast Foundation:

The Keep A Breast Foundation is a nonprofit breast cancer awareness organization that creates one-of-a-kind plaster casts of the female torso, which are customized by fine artists and auctioned to raise funds for breast cancer research, treatment and support programs. Combining sculpture, philanthropy, and symbolic artistry, Keep A Breast’s goal is to bring a fresh perspective to this important cause in a way that is relevant and inspiring to today’s youth. This original approach to raising awareness and funding for breast cancer was founded by Shaney Jo Darden and Mona Mukherjea-Gherig in 2000. Keep A Breast has traveled across the globe and staged events in France, Germany, New York, San Francisco, Hawaii, and more. Thousands of dollars have been raised on behalf of Young Survival Coalition, Susan G. Koman Foundation, The Breast Cancer Fund, Asha-Killgallen Fund, Kapiolanni Breast Center, and Europadonna. For more information, visit http://www.keep-a-breast.org.

###

[/img]