Comedienne Wanda Sykes joins Stand Up To Cancer and the Safeway Foundation on breast cancer PSA

LOS ANGELES — Stand Up To Cancer, the Safeway Foundation and actress and comedienne Wanda Sykes on Tuesday collaborated on a campaign to raise money and public awareness for breast cancer and treatment. The PSA campaign launches Oct. 1, the start of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

 

The campaign, scheduled to run the entire month of October, will coincide with Safeway's annual in-store Breast Cancer Awareness fundraiser, which offers customers multiple opportunities to donate at more than 1,300 Safeway stores across the U.S. Through the fundraiser and a new public service announcement featuring Sykes, a SU2C Ambassador, SU2C and The Safeway Foundation will encourage the public to support research to help find a cure for breast cancer. 

 

The print, radio, digital and out-of-home PSA, entitled "Our mother. Our daughters. Our best friends.", is designed to increase funds and awareness toward the fight against breast cancer.

 

"As a breast cancer survivor, I am honored to join Stand Up To Cancer and The Safeway Foundation in this critical initiative," stated Sykes. "Together we hope to raise funds and create awareness toward cancer research to help find more effective ways to treat the disease that has affected not only my life, but the lives of our mothers, daughters, sisters and friends."  

 

At the center of the fundraising and public awareness campaign is a limited-edition, breast cancer awareness-themed reusable tote. The bag will be available for purchase at all Safeway locations, including Vons, Pavilions, Tom Thumb, Randalls and Carrs stores, as well as online at SafewayFoundation.org. Proceeds will benefit accelerated breast cancer research. Additionally, Safeway shoppers can make a separate donation at checkout stands.

 

"We are proud to continue our longstanding commitment to fund research and, ultimately, cure for cancer," noted Larree Renda, Safeway EVP and chair of the Safeway Foundation. "We are thrilled to work with Stand Up To Cancer and Wanda Sykes, two amazing partners who have worked tirelessly to bring awareness to this important cause."

 

The collaborative campaign represents a continued dedication to breast cancer research and awareness for the Safeway Foundation and Stand Up To Cancer. To date, Safeway and the Safeway Foundation have raised more than $115 million for breast cancer causes. Stand Up To Cancer continues to make significant strides in breast cancer research. The SU2C Breast Cancer Dream Team, led by Dennis Slamon and Joe Gray, is working to develop more effective, less toxic treatments for the three major breast cancer subtypes: estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2- positive, and triple negative. 

 

The team is also addressing cancer cells' ability to become resistant to therapies that are initially effective, which is one of the key obstacles to successful treatment. Understanding this resistance opens the door to developing new therapeutic agents to overcome this critical problem.

 

"We are grateful to The Safeway Foundation for their continued commitment to Stand Up To Cancer and to Wanda Sykes for participating in this campaign," commented Lisa Paulsen, co-founder of Stand Up To Cancer and CEO of the Entertainment Industry Foundation. "As a breast cancer survivor, Wanda is a powerful and inspirational voice."