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During these hard economic times, its great to see companies like Mary Kay helping those who need it most. Thanks to the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation, founded by the founder of the Mary Kay Cosmetic Company, domestic violence shelters around the country will receive grants to help them help others.

The foundation will award grants totaling $3 million dollars to shelters in all 50 states and Washington DC, The Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The grants will be used to fund programs to curb domestic violence and to help keep shelter doors open during these tough economic times. Many of these shelters are seeing donation decline as people can not afford to be as charitable. Many shelters around the country are at risk of having to lay off staff or close down altogether.

“These grants from the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation come at a critical time for shelters across the country,” said Sue Else, president of the National Network to End Domestic Violence. “Thousands of women come into shelters every day for help and hope for themselves and their children. These grants will help shelters across the country provide needed support for women who have suffered domestic abuse.”

A part of the $3 million dollars in grants will come from the recently announced Country Music partnership with Mary Kay, “kiss domestic violence goodbye.” $600,000 thousand dollars will be awarded to 31 shelters in the names of various country artists who will auction off autographed lip print “Kiss Cards.” As we told you a month ago, country and rock singer Jewel is spearheading the partnership.

“The Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation is a leader in supporting programs to help women survive violent relationships and re-establish their lives,” said Anne Crews, member of the MKACF Board of Directors and vice president of Mary Kay Inc. “Shelters need our help, especially now, because they are the front-line resource for battered women and their children, whose needs are great.”

Since the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation was created almost 12 years ago, they have awarded almost $18 million dollars to shelter and programs to help those who have been affected by domestic violence.

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Mary Kay held a press conference this week to announce the launch of its 2nd annual philanthropic project, “A Kiss for Country” Campaign. The Campaign aims to help improve the lives of woman and children who are affected by domestic violence.

This years spokesperson for the campaign will be three time Emmy award winner, singer-songwriter, Jewel. Jewel has had success both as a mainstream artist, and most recently as a country singer. This season, she has been appearing as a judge on Nashville Star, on NBC.

The campaign asks celebrities to sign specially designed “Kiss Cards” that are then auctioned off. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the auctioned off cards, go directly to the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation’s programs to end domestic violence. The Mary Kay Ash Foundation has donated over $11 million dollars to aid domestic violence shelters across the country.

Jewel says that she feels honored to have been chosen for the project, “It’s a topic that’s close to my heart. I was homeless for a year and saw first hand how sometimes the streets can be safer than what’s at home.”

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The Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation received a special honor this past week when Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons announced that April 10th will now be “Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation Day” in Nevada. The company was recognized for its work to help women in the state of Nevada.

The foundation was started 12 years ago in 1996 by Mary Kay Ash who is, of course, the founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics. The Foundations primary goals are to raise awareness and money to support research to find a cure for cancers that primarily affect women and to help woman who are or have been victims of abuse.

The Mary Kay Foundation has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to women’s shelters throughout the State of Nevada. Grants have been awarded to family violence shelter in Carson City, Elko, Minden, and Reno among others. In just the last ten years the Mary Kay Foundation has awarded more than 800 grants to shelters totaling more than $11 million dollars, and another $10 million dollars in grants and gifts to promote research and a cure for cancer.

“When the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation awards grants to women’s shelters and to cancer researchers, it is because we want to help tackle ongoing challenges with which so many women must deal,” said Anne Crews, Mary Kay Inc. vice president of government relations and Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation board member. “To be honored for our work is humbling and, more importantly, rewarding to know that these issues are important to others. Knowing that the State of Nevada and Gov. Gibbons understand the significance of eradicating cancers affecting women and the prevention of domestic violence helps us realize that we are not in this struggle alone.”

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