8th Annual Conference on Crimes Against Women

Date:  4/26/2013

The Mary Kay Foundation^SM was the Presenting Community Sponsor of the 8th Annual Conference on Crimes Against Women recently held in Dallas, Texas. This Conference provides relevant and timely training to federal, state, and local law enforcement officers; federal, state and local prosecutors and victim advocates. This year’s event was attended by over 1400 people from over 42 states plus Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. It is presented annually by Genesis Women's Shelter and the Dallas Police Department. This is The Foundation’s seventh year to sponsor and is just one more way that we are making a difference in the lives of women. For more information, click here.

Thirteen Years and Counting ...

Date:  4/25/2013

Since 2000, TMKF linked with CancerCare to create the Touching Hearts program, which helps women defray the costs of undergoing cancer treatment. This year, TMKF donated $400,000 to help women facing cancer and the financial crisis it can cause. Even if a woman has good insurance coverage, premiums, time off work and transportation costs can drain a family’s resources. Some give up on treatment options because they live hundreds of miles from a treatment center. One such woman who lives in rural Kansas received a Touching Hearts check during her treatment. During the weeks of treatment, she drove about 2,700 miles for her treatment. Since its launch in 2000, the Mary Kay Touching Hearts program has given individual transportation grants totaling more than $4.1 million to nearly 30,000 women across the U.S. CancerCare provides free, professional support services to individuals, families and caregivers to help them manage the emotional and practical challenges of cancer.

Intimate Partner Violence Dropped 64%

Date:  12/5/2012

In a press release issued by the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, intimate partner violence declined from about 2.1 million victimizations in 1993 to around 907,00 in 2010 – a 64 percent decline over 18 years. This press release, which includes other signification facts, can be viewed at http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=4536. A full copy of this 17-page report is also available at http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/ipv9310.pdf.

The Mary Kay Foundation Sponsors TEAL Totes

Date:  7/16/2012

The Mary Kay Foundation recently donated $15,000 to the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition for their “Faces of Hope” TEAL Totes bags. The “Faces of Hope” program is designed to improve an ovarian cancer patient’s quality of life and survivability. These totes are given to newly diagnosed women to provide information and materials for those facing ovarian cancer. The TEAL Tote contains several publications, such as the Ovarian Cancer Resource Guide for Newly Diagnosed Women, as well as comfort items to help women through their ovarian cancer journey, including Mary Kay® Hand Cream and Mary Kay ® Lip Balm, and a large blanket and teal socks since keeping warm during chemotherapy treatment is very important to survivors. The National Ovarian Cancer Coalition is the leading national organization dedicated to providing the general public, patients, caregivers and healthcare communities and loved ones with accurate and up-to-date information on ovarian cancer.

FedEx Office Donates to the Foundation

Date:  7/9/2012

Through the Mary Kay/ FedEx Office Commercial Account Discount Program, introduced in 2005, FedEx Office discounts services and makes a generous annual donation to the Foundation based on net revenues from sales force and employee purchases. These services include copying, printing and more. Rob Bimson, Corporate Account Executive with FedEx Office, recently presented a check for $19,289.04 to The Mary Kay Foundation as a result of this ongoing partnership.

“The Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation has a long-standing commitment to eliminating cancers and ending the domestic violence epidemic affecting so many women. I could not be more pleased that FedEx Office is able to contribute to such a worthwhile organization dedicated to quality and service – two things we also pride ourselves on,” says Rob. “We value our partnership with the Foundation and are honored to help make a difference in the lives of women everywhere.”

2011 Shelter Grant Recipients Honored in News Ads

Date:  10/16/2011

In honor of domestic violence awareness month we wanted to send a thank you note and recognize the hard work of organizations and volunteers that help survivors of domestic violence every day. With your contributions The Mary Kay Foundation has donated much needed funds to 150 shelters nation-wide, in each state. The following newspapers published our thank you note on October 16 to the shelters in the states of Illinois, Texas, California, New York, Georgia, and Florida. You can see the ads here or in the following newspapers: The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Chicago Tribune, Dallas Morning News, LA Times, La Opinion in LA, the Miami Herald, El Nuevo Herald, and the New York Daily News. The newspapers have a combined circulation of 3.5 Million, and you can share the great news with your friends and family as well.

Like Mary Kay Inc. on Facebook & Help Lives!

Date:  9/1/2011

Mary Kay Inc. is rallying support to help end domestic violence. In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, from Sept. 1 – Oct. 31, Mary Kay will donate $1 to The Mary Kay Foundation for every new Facebook fan – up to $1 million!

If you are not already a fan, please visit the Mary Kay Facebook page and become a fan. One small click can make a big difference! If you are not a fan already, simply login to www.facebook.com/marykay and click “Like.”

Contributions to CancerCare^®

Date:  3/24/2011

For the tenth consecutive year, The Mary Kay Foundation has made a 2011 donation to the Touching Hearts Program of CancerCare®. CancerCare® is a national, nonprofit organization that provides free professional help to people with all cancers through counseling, education, information, referral and direct financial assistance. The Touching Hearts Program provides much-need financial assistance to women who have been diagnosed with cancer and are facing significant practical, financial and emotional challenges. In 2010, nearly 5,000 women benefited from Mary Kay’s donation to this program. For more information about CancerCare® and the Touching Hearts Program visit http://www.cancercare.org.

New Cancer Drugs on the Horizon?

Date:  3/14/2011

Thanks to a study funded by the MKF, researchers are one step closer to finding new drugs to treat cancer and other disorders.

In an online article at www.redorbit.com, “a new system called the lentiviral pINDUCER toolkit enables researchers to turn a gene on or off whenever they want,” said Dr. Thomas F. Westbrook, assistant professor and researcher for Baylor College of Medicine.

“This allows us to test any gene for its role in disease in live animals,” Westbrook said. In studies, the researchers can watch what happens to a tumor in the absence of a certain gene or protein. Researchers can use the toolkit to effect almost any kind of tissue and turn off the particular gene of interest in every cell of the tumor. Dr. Westbrook is a 2009 cancer grant recipient.

Shining the Light on Domestic Violence

Date:  10/13/2010

Every October, The Mary Kay Foundation observes National Domestic Violence Awareness Month by awarding grants to deserving women’s shelters. These grants provide services such as counseling, transportation vehicles, emergency shelter, food, clothing and basic needs to domestic violence survivors and their children. On September 21, The Mary Kay Foundation’s annual $3 million shelter grant program was announced and featured on electronic billboards in Times Square New York and the Las Vegas Fashion Mall. The Reuters sign in Times Square is the world’s largest digital sign, with 11 screens totaling over 7,400 square feet. There are 1,500 companies with 231,000 employees in Times Square, and 30 million tourists visit Time Square annually. The Las Vegas Fashion Show mall attracts more than 14 million shoppers annually, with more than 2 million square feet of retail space. We’re hopeful that these signs helped raise awareness about The Mary Kay Foundation and its mission.

Mini Beauty Closet Winners Announced

Date:  9/30/2010

In early 2010, the U.S. Product Marketing team gifted beauty editors of major U.S. fashion magazines with a Mary Kay Mini Beauty Closet exclusively designed for the re-branding of TimeWise® Skin Care. Two of the beautiful cases were donated to The Mary Kay Foundation^SM, which were raffled during Seminar Day Zero Tours at The Mary Kay Building. Tickets were sold to independent sales force members for $2.00 each, with all proceeds going to The Mary Kay Foundation. More than $5,800.00 was raised for the causes of cancer research and domestic violence awareness! On August 20, Anne Crews, vice president of government relations, drew two winning tickets, Independent Sales Director Andrea Strutz, of Harrison Township, Michigan, and Independent Beauty Consultant Kelly West of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Both women were very excited when they were contacted. Our gratitude to all the Independent Beauty Consultants who purchased tickets and made a donation to The Mary Kay Foundation!

Mary Kay Inc. Makes $1 Million Donation to TMKF

Date:  8/17/2010

At Seminar 2010 Mary Kay Inc. Chief Executive Officer David Holl presented to The Mary Kay Foundation Board Vice President Karen Rogers a check for $1 million from Mary Kay Inc. to support its two missions of eliminating cancers that affect women and ending the epidemic of violence against women. Mary Kay Inc. is the largest supporter of The Foundation, having donated over $16 million since 2003. Because of the Company’s administrative support, more than 97% of every dollar donated to the Foundation goes back into its two causes. In addition to this donation, in the US, from May 1 through September 15, 2010, $1 will be donated from each sale of limited-edition (available while supplies last) Beauty that Counts® Mary Kay® Creme Lipstick in Compassion, Inspiration and Confidence. As part of this effort, in the United States, Mary Kay Inc. is proud to support The Foundation in its efforts to end domestic violence. To learn more visit www.marykay.com.

Donation to NNEDV

Date:  2/14/2010

In February, 2010, The Mary Kay Foundation made a $300,000 donation to the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV). The NNEDV serves as the leading voice for domestic violence issues in Congress, the Executive Branch and the Federal Courts.

These funds will help with their core programs, with $200,000 being earmarked for the Amy's Courage Fund, a direct assistance fund created to alleviate the financial constraints that prevent victims of domestic violence from leaving their abusers.

The Foundation is also proud to sponsor the publication, 2009 Domestic Violence Counts: A 24-Hour Census of Domestic Violence Services, which will be given to every member of the U.S. Congress, over 2,000 shelters, and many state legislators and governors. For more information on the NNEDV and the Amy's Courage Fund, visit http://www.nnedv.org.

Foundation Underwrites Survivors and Technology CD

Date:  5/14/2009

The Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation and the National Network to End Domestic Violence debuted the first-of-its kind bilingual CD, Survivors and Technology/Sobreviventes y Technologia, designed to help domestic violence shelters, law enforcement and survivors safely plan around technology use, abuse and privacy. Topics covered in this CD range from different ways abusers use technology to stalk their victims to safety tips and strategies survivors can use to make technology work for them.

The newly-released Spanish-language version of this interactive CD addresses how technology can be used by abusers and how victims can use technology to protect themselves. CDs were distributed to domestic violence programs, rape crisis centers, victims advocate groups, prosecutors and attorneys general across the United States.

Developed by the Safety Net Team of the National Network to End Domestic Violence, the CD was underwritten by the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation.

Foundation Funds Breast Surgery Training Program

Date:  8/20/2008

The American Society of Breast Disease has created the Mary Kay Ash Advanced Training Program in Oncoplastic Breast Surgery. The Foundation has awarded a $225,000 grant to support this innovative program to train breast surgeons in the emerging field.

Oncoplastic surgery is a rapidly evolving subspecialty that combines the knowledge and surgical techniques of oncology as well as aesthetic and reconstructive surgery.

Dr. Gail Lebovic, one of the nation’s leading oncoplastic breast surgeons and Director of Women’s Health at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, will serve as the Program Director.

The American Society of Breast Disease, the nation’s only organization serving all healthcare professionals involved in breast cancer and disease diagnosis, treatment, and research, will administer the program.