Burlington Coat Factory Announces Another Year of Supporting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in its Quest to Beat Cancer

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., July 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Over the past decade, Burlington Coat Factory has raised close to $13 million through its company-wide initiative encouraging its customers to purchase paper balloon icons as a donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) to help fund cancer research and patient services,

Today, Burlington Coat Factory, LLS's #1 National Corporate Light The Night^® Walk partner, announced the launch of its 11th year in support of the campaign.

This same decade has seen many exciting advances in therapy and quality of life improvements for blood cancer patients, and these would not be possible without the generosity of partners such as Burlington Coat Factory and their customers and associates.

New discoveries, many supported by LLS-funding, have been made in areas such as targeted therapy and immunotherapy.  Nearly 50% (22 out of 50) of all cancer drugs approved by the Food & Drug Administration since 2000 were developed for blood cancer patients, many of these advanced with support from LLS.  And many of these are now helping other cancer patients and people with other serious diseases.

Burlington Coat Factory's campaign runs from today through October 29th at its more than 482 locations in 44 states and Puerto Rico. Burlington has set an ambitious fundraising goal this year, which would bring the total raised to more than $15 million since the inception of the partnership.

In addition to the balloon icon program, Burlington Coat Factory associates will participate in Light The Night Walks throughout the country. Light The Night Walk is LLS's evening walk campaign held in communities across the country each fall to honor and commemorate lives touched by cancer and raise funds to support blood cancer research and help patient and their families.

"I am consistently impressed and overwhelmed by the tremendous generosity of our employees and our customers to give back in support of this important life-changing research," said Thomas Kingsbury, Burlington Coat Factory president and chief executive officer. "We are looking forward to another outstanding campaign this season as we work together to raise funds in the fight against cancer."

About Burlington Coat Factory
Burlington is a national retail chain offering brag-worthy merchandise for the entire family and the home with up to 65 percent off department store prices every day. Departments include ladies' dresses, suits and sportswear, juniors, accessories, menswear, family footwear, children's clothing, furniture and accessories for baby at Baby Depot, home decor and gifts, along with the largest selection of coats in the nation for the entire family. Burlington Coat Factory was founded in 1972 and has expanded from a single store selling coats, to a multi-department retail chain with more than 483 stores in 44 States and Puerto Rico.  For more, visit www.BurlingtonCoatFactory.com.

About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society ^® (LLS) is the world's largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world and provides free information and support services.  

Founded in 1949 and headquartered in White Plains, NY, LLS has chapters throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more, visit www.LLS.org or contact the Information Resource Center at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET. www.lls.org.

For LLS Contact:

Andrea Greif
914-821-8958
[email protected]

For Burlington Contact:

609 387-7800 ext 3077
[email protected]

SOURCE The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society