ULTA Expands its Windows of Love™ Campaign Benefitting the Breast Cancer Research Foundation®

CHICAGO, Sept. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Throughout the month of October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the windows at ULTA stores across the country will be covered in "Love Letters" as part of its Windows of Love™ campaign to support breast cancer awareness and research.  The program showcases letters written by women, containing messages of hope, support and inspiration, in store windows at ULTA's 369 locations nationwide.  The campaign is designed to create a visual testament to the power of women helping women in the battle against breast cancer.

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ULTA, the largest beauty retailer in the United States to provide one-stop shopping for prestige, mass and salon products and services, launched the Windows of Love™ campaign in 2009.  Stores across the country papered their windows with letters of encouragement that ranged from inspiring stories of brave survivors to words of advice from supportive loved ones.  Based on the positive response, the Windows of Love™ campaign has been expanded to continue the momentum generated in the first year of the campaign.

"As a company dedicated to empowering women, we are in a unique position to help increase awareness of breast cancer and to provide a venue for women to support each other with words of encouragement," says Chuck Rubin, CEO, ULTA.

Love Letters can be written or typed on any paper and in any style.  Additionally, "Love Notes" -- blank, formatted postcards -- will be available at counters for guests who want to write a message while in the store.  For the first 50,000 Love Letters and Love Notes that are submitted to a store, ULTA will donate $1 each to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation®.

"Contributing my time, words and memories of losing a great friend to breast cancer for the Windows of Love™ campaign is something I felt very proud to be a part of.  My friend was a fighter until the end, at a very young age, and a great inspiration to all who knew her," shared Jennifer Potocki, who contributed a letter to the 2009 campaign.  "By reaching out with my story, I hope to inspire and encourage anyone battling this disease and wish for a cure tomorrow," Jennifer adds.

ULTA will provide three additional ways for women to help raise funds for The Breast Cancer Research Foundation®:

• Those who donate $1 can register for a chance to win a beauty bag of pink ribbon products; one winner per store will be chosen by random drawing.
• Those who make a contribution of $5 or more can receive their choice of a pink ribbon umbrella or tote bag.*
• Those who visit ulta.com can make a donation to fund hours of breast cancer research via The Breast Cancer Research Foundation's® Time for Research™ program.

"Through their commitment to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation®, ULTA and its customers have shown the world how big their hearts are in helping to fund life-saving research," said Myra J. Biblowit, President of The Breast Cancer Research Foundation®.  "The Windows of Love™ campaign is one of the most unique programs.  Windows of Love™ not only raises much needed dollars, it totally engages the ULTA community in this fight."

In 2009 ULTA raised more than half a million dollars to benefit The Breast Cancer Research Foundation®.  In 2010 ULTA seeks to surpass its 2009 donation.

*With every $5 contribution, customers will receive their choice of umbrella or tote and a donation of $2.80 will go to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation®. For customers who choose not to receive an umbrella or tote, 100% of the contribution will be donated to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation®.

About ULTA

ULTA is the largest beauty retailer in the United States to provide one-stop shopping for prestige, mass and salon products and services. ULTA offers affordable indulgence to its customers by combining the product breadth, value and convenience of a beauty superstore with the distinctive environment and experience of a specialty retailer. ULTA offers a unique combination of over 21,000 prestige and mass beauty products across the categories of cosmetics, fragrance, hair care, skincare, bath and body products and salon styling tools, as well as a full-service salon in all stores. Headquartered in Bolingbrook, Illinois, ULTA opened its doors in 1990, and currently operates 369 stores across 38 states and also distributes products through its website: www.ulta.com.

About The Breast Cancer Research Foundation®

Since its inception in 1993 The Breast Cancer Research Foundation® (BCRF) has raised $290 million–over $35.5 million in fiscal year 2010 alone–to support the most advanced and promising breast cancer research that will help lead to prevention and a cure in our lifetime. In 2010-2011, our grants will be supporting over 170 dedicated researchers at major medical institutions throughout the world.  If not for BCRF, many facts about the genetic basis of breast cancer wouldn't be known, breast cancer stem cells would still be a mystery, and personalized, targeted therapies wouldn't currently be available.  BCRF-funded scientists are responsible for these and many other critical achievements.  Currently, more than 88 cents of each dollar donated to the Foundation goes directly to breast cancer research and awareness programs.  And the American Institute of Philanthropy has awarded the Foundation its highest possible rating of A+.  BCRF is the only breast cancer organization to receive this accolade, and is the only cancer organization to currently hold this ranking.

SOURCE ULTA