The Lance Armstrong Foundation to Fund Programs in Nearly 100 Communities in the U.S. in 2009

Programs include national partnerships with YMCA and the Wellness Community and Community Program grants

AUSTIN, Texas – March 19, 2009 – Due to an overwhelming number of highly rated community program grant applications, the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) is pleased to announce they will fund eight additional proposals recommended for funding in the 2008 grant cycle. In 2009, the LAF will be funding programs in nearly 100 U.S. communities through a number of LAF initiatives totaling nearly $3 million.

“Our grants and programs serve the needs of people living with cancer,” said Andy Miller, vice president of programs and policy at the Lance Armstrong Foundation. “The LAF is proud to have a positive impact on the lives of millions of people across the U.S. who are affected by cancer and give them the resources and support they need to fight the disease.”

The LAF provides financial support and capacity-building to community-centered initiatives that address the physical, emotional and practical challenges of cancer survivorship. The LAF also offers community program grantees regular training, technical assistance and opportunities to discuss challenges, engage in relationship-building activities and exchange best practices. This year the LAF is funding eight programs in New Jersey, California, Missouri, Texas, Oregon and South Dakota, including:

• The Cancer Institute of New Jersey ($100,000) – New Brunswick, New Jersey
  The LAF-funded Buildings and Bridges (B&B) Program aims to improve the primary healthcare workforce’s ability to identify practical and emotional needs of cancer survivors and facilitate access to services that may meet those needs.
• University of California, Irvine ($147,377) – Irvine, CA
  The "Improving Survivorship of Patients with Pediatric, Adolescent, and Young Adult Cancer" project has been designed to aid transition of care from a pediatric-based care facility to an adult-care facility.
• Emilio Nares Foundation ($149,050) – San Diego, CA
  The “Ride with Emilio” program ensures that sick children have access to weekly chemotherapy and other crucial medical appointments when their families lack personal transportation and public transportation is not adequate.
• Cancer Legal Resource Center ($149,513) – Los Angeles, California
  This project, "Cancer-Related Legal Education for Health Care Professionals," will empower health care professionals in the cancer community to positively affect the lives of cancer patients and survivors.
• The Breakfast Club, Inc. ($50,000) – St. Louis, MO
  The EARS Program (Education, Awareness, Resources and Support) will provide culturally competent comprehensive breast health/cancer education and outreach and one-on-one and group support services and navigation assistance to uninsured and under insured breast cancer survivors and their families.
• M.D Anderson Cancer Center ($150,000) – Houston, TX
  The Cardiology and Oncology Partnership (COP) is a group of health care providers who are committed to eliminating cardiovascular (CV) disease as a barrier to effective cancer treatment.
• Familias en Accion ($140,151) – Portland, OR
  The Lance Armstrong Foundation will provide funding to develop a patient navigator program for Latino cancer survivors and their families, assisting them in accessing quality cancer treatment and support services. The program will provide special emphasis in providing cancer support services to adolescents and young adults – two groups who require culturally-specific and age appropriate resources.
• Aberdeen Area Tribal Group ($150,000) – Rapid City, South Dakota
  Funding from the LAF will support two Native American communities in South Dakota (Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and the Rapid City Urban Community) to develop community-based and culturally-appropriate cancer survivor support initiatives.

In addition to the eight community programs, the LAF and the YMCA have partnered to create LIVESTRONG at the YMCA, an evidence-based physical activity and wellness program for people affected by cancer. Currently the program is being offered at YMCA branches in 10 cities across the U.S, and will eventually be embedded and rolled out into the entire YMCA movement.

The LAF has also partnered with the Wellness Community, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing free emotional support, education and hope for people with cancer and their loved ones, to create Cancer Transitions: Moving Beyond Treatment, a six-week program for post-treatment cancer survivors. The program provides cancer survivors with the information, skills and tools to address exercise, nutrition, emotional health, quality of life and medical management after treatment ends. The program was piloted in 15 cities in 2007 and 2008, and in 2009, 20 cities will participate in the program.

Since its inception in 1997, the LAF has awarded grants in 44 states and Washington, D.C., totaling more than $8,151,413 million to organizations across the country.

About the Lance Armstrong Foundation
At the Lance Armstrong Foundation, we fight for the 28 million people around the world living with cancer today. There can be – and should be – life after cancer for more people. That's why we kick in at the moment of diagnosis, giving people the resources and support they need to fight cancer head-on. We find innovative ways to raise awareness, fund research and end the stigma about cancer that many survivors face. We connect people and communities to drive social change, and we call for state, national and world leaders to help fight this disease. Anyone anywhere can join our fight against cancer. Join us at www.LIVESTRONG.org.