News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date:Tuesday, August 10, 1999
Contact:Angelita Plemmer, City Manager's Office, (703) 838-4300; Lisa Oviatt, Health and Community Education Specialist ,Office on Women,(703) 838-5030

Registration Begins for Alexandria Walk to Fight Breast Cancer
Channel 5 News Anchor Jan Smith
Supports Free Mammograms for Women in Need
Registration starts today for the fifth annual Walk to Fight Breast Cancer, which will be held Saturday, October 23, at 9 a.m., at the Cameron Run Regional Park in Alexandria and hosted by WTTG-TV Fox 5 News Anchor Jan Smith.

The registration fee is $15 for adults and $10 for children, and includes a commemorative t-shirt. Interested participants can download registration forms and pledge sheets, as well as find additional information about the Walk on the City's web page at http://ci.alexandria.va.us/announcement/cancerwalk.htm Participants also may call the Alexandria Office on Women at (703) 838-5030. The registration form and entry fee should be mailed to the:

Office on Women
110 North Royal Street, Room #201
Alexandria, Virginia 22314

Proceeds from the Walk will go to the Alexandria Breast Cancer Walk Fund, which provides free mammograms for Alexandria women who cannot afford them. All participants are asked to collect pledges for the fund. Top pledge collectors will be eligible for prizes.

Funds raised in 1998 provided mammograms for more than 350 women, in addition to educational materials for more than 3,500 women. "My grandmother, mother and sister are all survivors of breast cancer," Smith said. "And as a family, we are committed to doing everything we can to assist with the early detection, education and research for breast cancer."

Smith, along with Alexandria City Manager Vola Lawson, State Senator Patsy Ticer and Holly Nolting, president of Hoffman Management, Inc., will lead hundreds of walkers this year on a 1.5K, 3.5K or 5K route beginning on Eisenhower Avenue in the park. The Walk will be held rain or shine. The route can accommodate all walkers, children in strollers or individuals using wheelchairs.

This year, the Walk is a "Fight the Flu" site. A flu shot clinic will be held prior to and after the Walk. The cost of the shot is $15. Discount coupons will be available at the Walk and Medicare Part B coverage is available to individuals who show their Medicare cards. Call 1-877-895-5BUG for more information regarding the flu shot.