On May 9th, alongside Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12), BCRF celebrated the signing of the Breast Cancer Awareness Commemorative Coin Act (H.R. 2722) into law. The Congresswoman was joined by Honorary Chair Leonard A. Lauder, President Myra Biblowit, BCRF's Scientific Director Dr. Larry Norton, and breast cancer survivors and advocates Nicole Seagriff of The Pink Agenda and Roz Goldstein. President Obama signed into law the bipartisan bill on the evening of April 29, making official a new fundraising effort for breast cancer medical research.
The bill, introduced by Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12) and Congressman Pete Sessions (TX-32) in the House and Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) and Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) in the Senate, creates a commemorative coin program at the U.S. Mint that has the potential to raise an estimated $8.5 million in private funds for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Coins will be available for purchase in 2018.
“I’m thrilled that the Breast Cancer Awareness Commemorative Coin Act has been signed by President Obama and that we can now begin the next steps for this new avenue of raising funds for breast cancer research,” said Rep. Maloney. “New commemorative coins will be designed, minted and sold, at no cost to the American taxpayer, to raise millions of dollars for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation’s critical research efforts. About one in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Thanks to investment in research on detection methods and treatment, survivorship has increased. The only obstacle standing between us and a cure is further research, and that research needs funding. I’m so pleased to have worked with Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) and Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) on this lifesaving bill.”
The Breast Cancer Awareness Commemorative Coin Act (H.R. 2722) would direct the U.S. Treasury to issue up to 50,000 $5 “pink gold” coins, up to 400,000 $1 silver coins and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins with a design to symbolize the fight against breast cancer in 2018. The production cost of these coins will be fully covered in the sales price, and the proceeds will benefit BCRF. No taxpayer money will be used in the production or sale of the coin.
“We are so honored to be named the recipient of the Breast Cancer Commemorative Coin,” said Myra Biblowit, President and CEO of BCRF. “Since BCRF was founded by Evelyn Lauder in 1993, our investigators have been deeply involved in every major breakthrough in breast cancer research. Investing in BCRF is an investment in a future without breast cancer. We are on a path to ending the devastating disease and with the funding from this coin we will propel research forward, faster.”
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