Dear friends, family, and colleagues,

Recently, two women very important to me, my grandmother and my Aunt Carol, have been diagnosed with breast cancer. As many of you know, I live five hours away from my family in New York, and as you might expect, I don't get to visit them as often as I'd like. Consequently, when this serious illness struck my family, I felt doubly helpless. Not only is it difficult to know what to do when a family member is ill, it is also gut wrenching when you cannot be there for them.

A few weeks ago, I was reading the Washington Post and saw an ad that gave me a chance to help make a difference in the lives of women like my Aunt Carol and my grandmother. The weekend of May 5, 2000, I'll be participating in a very special and powerful event in the fight against breast cancer. It's called the Avon Breast Cancer 3-day and I'd like to tell you about it.

I'll walk 60 miles from Frederick, Maryland to Washington, D.C. with more than 2,000 other people dedicated to raising money for breast cancer and other diseases that affect women. The net proceeds from the event will support non-profit breast health programs in every region of the country, and cutting-edge medical research on women's diseases at leading academic institutions.

A key part of my participation in this event is that I've agreed to raise at least $1800 in pledges before the event. In order to meet that goal, I will need your help. Enclosed with this letter is a pledge form. Please look over the form and designate the (tax-deductible) amount that's right for you. Please keep in mind how far I will be walking- and how hard I will be training for the Avon Breast Cancer 3-day between now and May.

One out of every nine women in the United States will develop breast cancer in her life time. Breast Cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death for all women, and the leading cause of death in women between the ages of 40 and 55. Both its cause and the means to a cure remain a mystery, although the disease can be successfully treated if caught early. Currently, one million women in the United States have the disease, but don't know it. Many will not know about their potentially fatal illness for another five to eight years. That's why I'm walking so far. To do something big- something that will remind us of the 2 million courageous women living with breast cancer, and something that will challenge me just as finding a prevention and a cure challenges our leading researchers. As I have decided to walk as a tribute to important women in my life, I hope that you will think about the women close to you and decide to make a difference in their life by sharing this effort with me.

Thank you so much for your support and generosity. I will be updating you on my progress, providing links to information about breast cancer and more on my special Avon 3-day webpage at http://www.mwahahahaha.com/sharon/3day/

Sharon