The Maurer Foundation recently received grant funds from the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer (FTBC) Garden City promotion, hosted by Saks Fifth Avenue back in October. The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Foundation issued a $3,788 check while the local Saks store presented it to the Maurer Foundation in late December - just two months after the promotion ended.

Vanessa Booth, development associate of the Maurer Foundation, said, "We truly enjoyed working with Saks and our collaborating partners. The event in Garden City was terrific."

To help raise awareness for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, Saks Fifth Avenue partnered with the CFDA Foundation Oct. 18-21 for its third annual nationwide shopping weekend to benefit the CFDA's FTBC initiative and local and national breast cancer charities. This promotion included all of Saks Fifth Avenue's 62 stores across the country as well as the 50 OFF 5th outlet stores, Saks.com and Folio, the store's mail order catalog.

Grant funds raised during the Saks' FTBC shopping weekend included 2 percent of all sales from all Saks stores, OFF 5th stores, Saks.com and Folio. In addition, 100 percent of the proceeds from special FTBC merchandise sold in the stores and limited edition merchandise sold on eBay (including one-of-a-kind FTBC T-shirts created by the CFDA designers and a 2002 Mercedes-Benz C320 Sport Wagon filled with designer merchandise) were donated to breast cancer causes.

In all, Saks raised and distributed $2.163 million to more than 60 breast cancer organizations around the US, bringing Saks' three-year FTBC shopping weekend total to over $6 million. FTBC is a worldwide initiative of the CFDA Foundation. Based in New York City, the foundation is the philanthropic arm of the CFDA, which represents 241 of America's leading fashion designers.

The FTBC two-tone blue bull's eye logo, which was inspired by Ralph Lauren, is the cornerstone of the campaign and is featured on other CFDA/FTBC joint promotions around the world. To date, the campaign has raised and distributed over $20 million for breast cancer research, education, patient support and counseling.

Jaqui Lividini, senior vice president of fashion merchandising and communications for Saks, said, "Fashion Targets Breast Cancer is Saks' most important annual philanthropic activity - and involves all 62 stores. It is a company-wide promotion that has generated over $6 million in grants to local and national breast cancer organizations in three years. As individuals and as a company, we are truly proud of this effort and all of the goodwill and critical support it has engendered."

Currently FTBC is produced in five other countries - Australia, Brazil, Canada, Greece and the United Kingdom. In the UK, HRH Prince Charles is a patron of the campaign. Plans are in the works for expansion of the FTBC fund-raising promotion in 10 additional countries within the next two years.

Peter Arnold, executive director of the CFDA Foundation, said the program impacts so many people. "Millions of people around the world have seen the FTBC symbol. It has become a powerful force in the fight against breast cancer and the funds it has raised have been used to improve the lives of countless women and their families. It is a gratifying effort and testimony to the power of a simple idea."