PUMA® Scores Against Breast Cancer with Project Pink

WESTFORD, Mass., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Women's soccer: 1. Breast cancer: 0. PUMA® is excited to announce the results of the sportlifestyle brand's Project Pink program, developed in conjunction with PUMA's partnership with the dynamic female athletes of Women's Professional Soccer (WPS). The beneficiary of the initiative's inaugural year, chosen by popular vote, is the Breast Cancer Research and Education Fund at Magee-Womens Foundation. Based in Pittsburgh, PA, Magee-Womens Foundation supports the efforts of Magee-Womens Research Institute and the Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, The fund directly benefits the group's newly-opened Women's Cancer Research Center, headed up by breast cancer researcher Adrian Lee, Ph.D. and gynecologic oncologist Dr. Robert Edwards, M.D. With the culmination of Project Pink's fundraising, PUMA is proud to present Magee-Womens Foundation with a total of $62,730.62, including funds raised by 17,867 tweets.

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"We are thrilled that the new Women's Cancer Research Center, an exciting collaboration between Magee-Womens Research Institute and the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, has won this generous donation from PUMA's Project Pink," said Dr. Lee. The goal of the Center is to establish new collaborations between physicians and scientists as they address key questions in this area of women's cancer health. Added Dr. Edwards, "The money from Project Pink will be used towards the purchase of a new laser capture microdissection device that will give scientists the unique ability to isolate and capture single cancer cells and help dig into the roots of the disease. This equipment will allow future physician-scientists to excel in their investigations. We applaud PUMA's efforts through Project Pink, and look forward to working with the program as we improve the health of countless women."

In July 2010, with the announcement of the Project Pink initiative, PUMA pledged to donate 100% of the profits from the sales of its Project Pink merchandise to a charitable institution dedicated to the fight against breast cancer. PUMA created a special capsule collection of "pink" product, including a soccer ball, gym sack, tee shirt, and replica jersey, the latter to match those worn by WPS athletes in five regular-season games and other activations to support the cause. To further sweeten the pot, for every tweet using the Twitter hashtag #projectpink, PUMA also promised an additional $1. PUMA developed an open forum at wps.pumafootball.com/projectpink with the aim of giving young soccer fans the opportunity to make a difference, and actually nominate and vote for the nonprofit that they felt were most deserving of the funds raised. Magee-Womens Foundation was chosen by popular vote over a month-long window, and, well, the rest is history.

"We're so pleased that Project Pink's first beneficiary is such a deserving organization," commented Jay Piccola, president and general manager of PUMA North America. "So many amazing young women engaged with the program, nominating an impressive group of nonprofits, banding together to vote for them, and tweeting their hearts out in support – they honestly made all the difference. We have no doubt that the team at Magee-Womens Foundation will translate their efforts into some truly impactful work within the field of breast cancer research."

This won't be the last we'll see of Project Pink. The initiative, developed as a long-term commitment by PUMA, will continue in the 2011 WPS season with refreshed product, new faces, and additional opportunities for young women – soccer fans, and beyond – to get involved. For program updates, as well as more information about PUMA's partnership with WPS, visit wps.pumafootball.com.

PUMA became an official founding partner of WPS in December 2008. The multi-year partnership makes PUMA the official sport and lifestyle apparel, footwear and equipment supplier of WPS, including the official WPS Match Ball and PUMA WPS Fanwear. PUMA's roster of WPS athletes includes four-time FIFA World Player of the Year, Marta, as well as standout stars Natasha Kai, Leslie Osborne, Amy Rodriguez, Karina LeBlanc, and Alex Scott.

Become a fan of PUMA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/puma. Follow PUMA on Twitter @thepumastore and watch PUMA on YouTube at www.youtube.com/puma.

PUMA

PUMA is one of the world's leading Sportlifestyle companies that designs and develops footwear, apparel and accessories. It is committed to working in ways that contribute to the world by supporting Creativity, SAFE Sustainability and Peace, and by staying true to the principles of being Fair, Honest, Positive and Creative in decisions made and actions taken. PUMA starts in Sport and ends in Fashion. Its Sport Performance and Lifestyle labels include categories such as Football, Running, Motorsports, Golf and Sailing. Sport Fashion features collaborations with renowned designer labels such as Alexander McQueen, Mihara Yasuhiro and Sergio Rossi. The PUMA Group owns the brands PUMA, Cobra Golf and Tretorn. The company, which was founded in 1948, distributes its products in more than 120 countries, employs more than 9,000 people worldwide and has headquarters in Herzogenaurach/Germany, Boston, London and Hong Kong. For more information, please visit http://www.puma.com

Magee-Womens Research Institute

As the first research institute to focus exclusively on the health of women and their families, Magee-Womens Research Institute examines biological and societal factors specific to women and their impact on health. Areas of study include pregnancy complications, infectious diseases, gynecology, cancers, and more.

With a deep passion for women's health, the Institute has emerged as a world hub of gender-specific research. Its basic and clinical scientists are dedicated to translating their discoveries into improved health for women across the street at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC.

The Institute's success is attributed in great measure to the philanthropic vision of Magee-Womens Foundation and generous support from the Pittsburgh region. Financial contributions to the Foundation have helped Magee improve and save the lives of countless women and infants.

SOURCE PUMA