OpTree

The Avon Foundation, an organization sponsored by the Avon cosmetics company, announced today that they have partnered with The Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation to launch a new campaign, the Love/Avon Army of Women.  The revolutionary program will partner women with breast cancer and researchers to help unlock the mystery of what causes breast cancer.

The main goal of the program will be to move beyond just searching for a cure, but in finding clear answers to how women today can prevent the cancer from attacking. The Love/Avon Army of Women are encouraging women of all races, and ethnicities to take part in the research that will helps the millions of people affected by breast cancer each year.

The program will offer women the chance to participate in finding a cure simply by going to the Army of Women site and signing up to participate in future research studies. Women who are healthy, at risk, or currently undergoing treatment can all join in on the efforts to find answers. All information of participants is kept strictly confidential. Studies range from simple questionnaires to providing blood samples. The volunteer will determine how much they are willing to participate. All research and data collected will go through scientific, safety and ethical review to ensure their validity.

Dr. Susan Love, for whom the Susan Love Research Foundation is named, has been a leader in the breast cancer movement for over 3 decades, is excited about the partnership and its possibilities. “Women have repeatedly demonstrated through fundraising and advocacy their personal dedication to ending this disease. This new initiative gives women the opportunity to take the next steps and be part of the research itself.”

Andrea Jung, Chairman and CEO of Avon Products was on hand with Dr. Love for the launch, “Avon is itself an ‘army of women,’ and we are committed to being the company and the foundation for women. The Army of Women is a perfect marriage of our global leadership in the breast cancer cause and our grassroots access to women across the country.”

Several celebrities have joined in on the campaign as “celebrity ambassadors.” Among the celebs who have joined the army are, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, Daisy Fuentes, Danica Patrick and Suze Orman.

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Reality star, Lauren Conrad, star of the MTV hit show The Hills, and Mark Cosmetics spokesperson, has just joined in on the fight against dating violence. Mark Cosmetics line, a part of the Avon family  has created the Mpowerment Advisory Board that will work to end dating violence especially amongst youth in the United States.

Conrad who promotes beauty and cosmetics for Avon’s Mark line will serve as a spokesperson for the campaign as well as act as Honorary Co-Chair of the Mpowerment Expert Advisory Board.
This is Mark’s first campaign against dating violence. Profits from several Mark products will be donated to various groups around the US that are involved in the fight against dating violence.
According to Avon, 100 percent of net proceeds from Conrad’s Have a Heart Necklace will be donated to the Mpowerment Campaign. The necklaces are a very reasonable $22, $20 of which will go towards the campaign.

Conrad is encouraging everyone to buy the necklace to support the important cause, “Abuse is a devastating cycle. By purchasing this necklace for yourself and your friends you’ll support the cause and raise awareness.”

Conrad also wrote about the cause on her MySpace celebrity blog, “I have partnered with mark in its first initiative, aimed at ending the cycle of dating abuse and violence. Women ages 16-24 experience the highest rates of partner violence, and Mark and I want to change that statistic.”

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We’ve all seen the commercials and infomercials on TV for certain acne treatment products- they are everywhere! And it seems that everyone is coming out with their own line of acne fighting product line- it is big business. Now Avon is getting into the game as well. Their new product, the Clearskin Professional Acne Treatment System is the newest product on the block aiming to help woman young and old fight acne.

The three step system promises to clear your skin in only three short days, and Avon claims that its system is three times more effective than ProActive. The system comes complete with Deep Pore Cleansing Scrub, Clarifying Toner Pads and a Daily Correcting Lotion. Avon says that all you have to do to have healthier clearer skin is simply follow the three step program once a day- at night before bed- and your skin will look better in no time.

The system contains three of the most powerful ingredients out there that have been clinically proven to clear skin and prevent breakouts. Salicylic acid, which has been shown to reduce redness and clear blemishes, glycolic acid, which helps re-textures the skin and zinc hexapeptide which reduces surface oil on the skin and helps control overproduction of oil.

The system is a very competitive $29.99 on the Avon site, or through your local Avon distributor. I have yet to try this product, but…Avon has a very cool new feature on their site, and that is product reviews. You can check out the new Clearskin System on the site and read the product reviews from the many who have already tried the system.

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Avon spokeswoman, Reese Witherspoon, was on hand at a press conference in San Paulo, Brazil to celebrate the success of the cosmetic company’s global fundraising campaign product, the Women’s Empowerment Bracelet.

The Bracelet, which launched in March has sold over 1.5 million units to date. The bracelet fundraiser was announced just a few months ago at the second annual Global Summit for a Better Tomorrow, in conjunction with the United Nations Development Fund for Women. Proceeds from the sales of the Bracelets will go towards bettering the lives of women around the world and helping in the fight against domestic violence.

At the press conference held this week, Witherspoon was joined by Nilcea Freire, Brazils Federal Secretary for Women Policies, UNIFEM Regional Director for the Southern Cone, Ana Falu and domestic violence survivor and biochemist, Maria Da Penha Maia Fernandes, who has pioneered the fight against violence towards women in Brazil. Fernandes was instrumental in passing a law , named after her, prosecuting those who commit domestic violence acts,

“As the company for women, and on this occasion of 50 years in Brazil, Avon is keenly aware of how important it is to work to put an end to this type of violence,” says Luis Felipe Miranda, President of Avon Brazil. “We also understand how delicate the problem is, and the need to involve different sectors of society in this human rights issue which is why our public-private partnership with UNIFEM is so powerful.”

“I find it shocking that one billion women globally — that is one in every three women — are affected by violence at some point in their lives. In Latin America, between 30 and 40 percent of all women aged fifteen or older have been subjected to some form of violence, most often by a member of their own family,” said Ms. Witherspoon. “That’s a statistic we must try to change, and the Women’s Empowerment Bracelet is a great way for everyone to contribute.”

The Avon Foundation has matched the first $500,000 in sales from the bracelets and have so far donated $1 million for new grants by the UN Trust Fund. The donation represents the largest one year corporate contribution to date. Additional monies raised will go toward local domestic violence programs in countries where AVON has a presence.

Popularity: 5% [?]