LANCE ARMSTRONG FOUNDATION AND GILDA'S CLUB OFFER GRASSROOTS ADVOCACY TRAINING PROGRAM
Survivors to Learn Advocacy Tactics to Help Make Cancer a National Priority 

AUSTIN, Texas - August 10, 2006 - The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) and Gilda's Club Worldwide announced today a cooperative agreement through which the organizations together will develop a grassroots advocacy training program for people affected by cancer.

Through training sessions in select cities in the U.S. and Canada, the LAF and Gilda's Club will educate survivors about cancer issues and how decisions are made in regard to cancer-related policies and teach participants skills to help make their voices heard more effectively.

"In partnership with Gilda's Club, the LAF hopes to provide survivors with the skills and understanding necessary to make a difference through advocacy," said David Loyfe, director of government relations for the LAF.

In 2003, the LAF awarded three community program grants to Gilda's Club affiliates to support community-centered initiatives. In addition, the LAF has supported Gilda's Club Worldwide's national conference since 2004.

"We are thrilled to continue to work together through this cooperative agreement to help empower people and create a voice for change in the cancer community," Lofye said. 

"Gilda's Club Worldwide could not ask for a better partner when it comes to advocacy training.  We are excited to enhance the lives of those living with cancer in our Gilda's Club communities," said Vivien Hoexter, CEO for Gilda's Club Worldwide.

The LAF and Gilda's Club conducted the first of 10 grassroots skill session series on May 20, 2006, and will conduct at least nine additional sessions in the U.S. and Canada by next May. Session schedules and information are available at www.gildasclub.org.

About the Lance Armstrong Foundation
The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) inspires and empowers people affected by cancer. We help people with cancer focus on living; we believe that unity is strength, knowledge is power and attitude is everything. From the moment of diagnosis, the LAF provides the practical information and tools people with cancer need to live life on their own terms. The LAF serves its mission through advocacy, public health and research. Founded in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong, the LAF is located in Austin, Texas. For more information, visit www.livestrong.org.

About Gilda's Club
Gilda's Club's mission is to provide meeting places where men, women, and children living with cancer, and their families and friends, can join with others to build social and emotional support as a supplement to medical care.  Free of charge and non-profit, Gilda's Clubs offer support and networking groups, lectures and workshops and social events in non-residential homelike settings. For more information about Gilda's Club or how to find a club near you, visit www.gildasclub.org.