HAVERFORD, PA., Feb. 11, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) and Living Essentials, LLC. today announced the results of their second annual Breast Cancer Awareness Month collaboration and how these results have and will benefit individuals who have been diagnosed with this disease. Since 2013 Living Essentials, the distributor of 5-hour ENERGY® shots, has donated nearly $550,000 to LBBC in addition to featuring the organization in advertising and marketing initiatives that have "significantly raised the profile of the organization and the free programs and services we offer" according to LBBC CEO Jean A. Sachs, MSS, MLSP. The amount is based on a donation of five cents from the sale of specially marked bottles of raspberry and pink lemonade flavored 5-hour ENERGY® shots sold from September through December in 2013 and 2014, respectively.
2014's campaign began in September with the release of television and radio commercials that featured women who have used LBBC resources following their breast cancer diagnosis. One of these women was Andi Morris of Philadelphia who had the chance to tell her story and inform others about how LBBC was able to help her following her own diagnosis, not once but twice. The experience left her feeling "privileged to have had the opportunity to share my breast cancer story nationally and to reach so many people with the help of 5-hour ENERGY®. You never know who is listening and the positive difference you can make in someone else's life. That gives me a lot of pleasure."
Then, to kick-off Breast Cancer Awareness Month and for the second year in a row, Living Essentials promoted the collaboration by featuring the LBBC logo on the No. 15 Toyota Camry driven by racer Clint Bowyer for Michael Waltrip Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Bowyer also brought home the impact that breast cancer has on millions of lives across the United States by highlighting the name of a diagnosed woman on his car at October races in Kansas City, Charlotte and Fort Worth.
However, it was 5-hour ENERGY®'s sponsorship of CBS RADIO's "We Can Survive" concert headlined by an array of today's biggest artists in Los Angeles that proved to be the highlight of the 2014 campaign. Bringing in LBBC sent a powerful message of trust in the work being done there on behalf of people impacted by breast cancer.
"As a nonprofit organization that prides itself on responsible management of donor money, it would be close to impossible for us to implement national marketing campaigns to inform people about the services we can provide them in any kind of cost effective way," says LBBC's associate director of marketing and corporate partnerships, Kevin Gianotto. "That's what makes this collaboration so exciting. Not only do they provide a funding source necessary for us to implement and deliver the programs, they provide a platform to introduce the services, as well. It really is full-circle."
This kind of support proved to be a major factor in LBBC's mission delivery last year, when more people than ever before learned about and took advantage of its resources. According to Sachs, in 2014 LBBC:
• Received over 1,000 calls to its toll-free Breast Cancer Helpline
• Educated and supported over 10,000 individuals through community meetings, webinars, online content delivery and national conferences
• Distributed over 100,000 Guides to Understanding Breast Cancer
• Published the first Breast Cancer inFocus guide, a new, ongoing series of publications designed for underserved populations
• Introduced almost 500,000 people to the services LBBC provides via lbbc.org
• Increased the number of individuals engaging with LBBC via social media by 300%
In addition, to reach even greater numbers of people, in 2015 and beyond LBBC plans to:
• Initiate a new strategic plan with the goal of accelerating access to LBBC programs and services through 2017
• Identify, implement and evaluate opportunities for LBBC to successfully bring resources to greater numbers of low-income/high need individuals
• Redesign lbbc.org to allow a more "user-friendly" experience regardless of the device used to access content
• Expand online presence with LBBC's new 360 initiative that will allow people to attend topic-specific community meetings led by the country's leading healthcare professionals from anywhere in the country
• Train an additional two dozen women to serve as Breast Cancer Helpline volunteers
• Publish three new Guides to Understanding Breast Cancer and three new inFocus guides bringing LBBC's library of free publications to over 25 titles
"One of the objectives of our campaign collaboration with LBBC in 2013 and 2014 was to provide them a platform to help as many people as possible across the country learn of this amazing organization and what they do," says Living Essentials communications director, Melissa Skabich. "Another was to provide the financial support necessary to help them continue and expand their programs. These campaigns are ensuring that anyone in need has access to the invaluable resources they provide."
About Living Beyond Breast Cancer
LBBC's mission is to connect people with trusted breast cancer information and a community of support. National conferences, monthly webinars, regional community meetings, the Guides to Understanding Breast Cancer and a toll-free Breast Cancer Helpline are just a few examples of the services that are provided, always at little or no cost.
About 5-Hour ENERGY®
5-hour ENERGY® is a liquid energy shot that provides a feeling of energy and alertness that lasts for hours. It contains a blend of B-vitamins and amino acids, zero sugar, four calories, and caffeine comparable to a cup of the leading premium coffee. It is available at retail outlets in the United States and Canada as well as throughout the U.K., Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands and South Africa.
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