FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 11, 2007

Products now available online, at retail locations and by phone to help save lives.

(BUFFALO, NY) This holiday season, young cancer patients have come together once again to present a stunning line of holiday cards and gifts to benefit Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI).

The patient-artists joined Roswell Park doctors, scientists and volunteers on October 11 at RPCI to show off their 18th annual collection from The Paint Box Project®, themed Living Masterpieces.

Jennifer Prince Bronstein, Art Committee Chair and a volunteer with the Roswell Park Alliance Community Advisory Board, said that the children and families involved in The Paint Box Project create drawings at art parties held throughout the year. These artworks are then transformed into products sold locally and across the country to help save lives.

According to Candace Johnson, PhD, Chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics and the Robert, Lew and Ann Wallace Chair for Translational Research at Roswell Park, The Paint Box Project raises needed funds that help cancer patients of every age and diagnosis. 

“This initiative has raised more than $5.8 million since its start and these dollars make an enormous impact on our work,” said Johnson. She explained that each and every purchase from The Paint Box Project helps provide start-up funds for innovative new research, as well as flexible funding for programs such as patient education, transportation, lodging and psychological support.

Patient-artist, Megan Johnson, age 17, was given a clean bill of health last year after years of follow-up treatment for a Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor (PNET), located on her left chest wall and her lung. Johnson was diagnosed when she was only 21 months old and knows firsthand about the need for such support.

At the time of her diagnosis, doctors gave Megan only a 10% chance of survival. Today, Megan shows her family members and friends that it is possible to beat the odds. “Megan gives 100% to everything,” said her mom, Kathy Johnson. “She doesn’t see limitations; she sees possibilities.” One of the most exciting possibilities for Megan is the opportunity to attend college to become a radiologist. “I want to give people hope,” said Megan, “because I’m living proof that it is possible to survive cancer – even when the odds are stacked against you.”

This year’s collection features 22 new holiday card designs. In addition to holiday cards, the collection includes gifts featuring or inspired by the children’s artwork, including handmade jewelry by local artisans, Lands’ End tote bags, gourmet Choco-Logo chocolates, ornaments, Light of Hope candles, trivets, aprons, sweatshirts (created in collaboration with artist, Michael Morgulis), and photo cards (available through The Campos Group’s iprintfromhome.com and at Nova Photo).

Great Arrow Graphics (maker of hand-silk-screened cards) has teamed up with artists from The Paint Box Project once again this year to offer eight exclusive card designs. Roswell Park’s Great Arrow cards are featured online and in Barnes & Noble stores across America.

A very special “Self Portraits” card is also offered this year to collaboratively benefit both Roswell Park and the Essential Care for Children program, a pediatric program of Home Care Buffalo through the Center for Hospice and Palliative Care.

Visit www.PaintBoxProject.com today to shop online, and to easily customize your cards for family or business distribution. Or visit retail sites including Tops and Wegmans stores. Dedicated volunteers from Classifieds Plus, Inc. are also are standing by at 1-800-959-5931 to place orders or to provide gift ideas.

The Paint Box Project is presented by the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation with generous support from lead sponsor Upstate Pharmacy. Card and Gift Sponsors include: Algonquin Studios, Capital Management Services, Creditors Interchange, Dreamcatcher Foundation, Forbes-Capretto Homes, J.W. Danforth Co., United Graphics and The Zenger Group. Retail, Business and Media Sponsors include: Buffalo.com, The Buffalo News, Classifieds Plus, Inc., Great Arrow Graphics, iprintfromhome.com, Martin’s, Nova Photo, Tops, WBEN 930-AM, Wegmans, WIVB-TV Channel 4 and WNLO-TV Channel 23.

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The Roswell Park Alliance Foundation, founded in 1991, is a not-for-profit organization formed to receive and administer funds supporting scientific and clinical research, state-of-the-art medical care, and patient-related activities at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.  Roswell Park Cancer Institute, founded in 1898, is the nation’s first cancer research, treatment and education center and is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York. RPCI is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers. Roswell Park has affiliate sites and collaborative programs in New York, Pennsylvania, and in China. For more information, visit RPCI’s website at http://www.roswellpark.org, call 1-877-ASK-RPCI (1-877-275-7724) or email askrpci@rpswellpark.org.