UAMS Breast Cancer Program Awarded $407,000 From Televised Charitable Shoe Sale

By Ben Boulden

Supporting breast cancer research and education institutions nationwide, the Fashion Footwear Association of New York (FFANY) and QVC selected the Breast Cancer Program at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute as one of the nine beneficiaries of this year’s event. A check in the amount of $407,005 was recently presented by QVC and FFANY representatives to Cancer Institute Director Peter Emanuel, M.D., and V. Suzanne Klimberg, M.D., director of the UAMS Breast Cancer Program, who accepted the donation on behalf of the organization.

“We are honored to participate in this program benefiting breast cancer research and education at institutions across the country,” Emanuel said. “Early detection is vital to increasing breast cancer survival rates. Support such as this helps us educate women about the importance of mammography while also continuing our search for better treatment options.”

The Breast Cancer Program at UAMS is accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC). The NAPBC, a program of the American College of Surgeons, represents a consortium of national professional organizations dedicated to improving of the quality of care and monitoring of outcomes for patients with diseases of the breast.

Since its inception, QVC Presents “FFANY Shoes on Sale” has sold more than 1 million pairs of shoes and generated more than $41 million to benefit leading breast cancer research and education institutions. The event’s “Special Pink Benefactors” — The Jones Group, Brown Shoe Company and Camuto Group — each donated shoes worth more than $500,000 in 2012, bringing shoe shoppers such brands as Enzo Angiolini, Bandolino and AK Anne Klein as well as Via Spiga, Etienne Aigner, Carlos by Carlos Santana, Vince Camuto, Jessica Simpson, BCBGeneration and LUCKY Brand. Other companies that generously donated shoes included Chinese Laundry, Guess, Kenneth Cole New York, MICHAEL by Michael Kors and many more.  

UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a statewide network of regional centers; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute, the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging and the Translational Research Institute. Named best Little Rock metropolitan area hospital by U.S. News & World Report, it is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has more than 2,800 students and 790 medical residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including about 1,000 physicians and other professionals who provide care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS regional centers throughout the state. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com.

QVC, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Interactive Corporation (NASDAQ:LINTA), is the world’s leading video and ecommerce retailer. QVC is committed to providing its customers with thousands of the most innovative and contemporary beauty, fashion, jewelry and home products. Its programming is distributed to approximately 250 million homes worldwide through operations in the U.S., Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy and a joint venture in China. West Chester, Pa.-based QVC has shipped more than a billion packages in its 26-year history and the company’s website, QVC.com, is ranked among the top general merchant Internet sites. QVC, Q, and the Q Ribbon Logo are registered service marks of ER Marks, Inc.

The Fashion Footwear Charitable Foundation was created to support ongoing research and education programs in the fight against breast cancer and is supported by members of the Fashion Footwear Association of New York (FFANY). Donated footwear is sold on live television through QVC during the Fashion Footwear Charitable Foundation’s annual charity benefit, QVC Presents “FFANY Shoes on Sale.” Net proceeds are distributed to leading breast cancer research and education institutions across the United States, including beneficiaries for the 2012 event: The Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, The Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, The John Wayne Cancer Institute at Saint John’s Health Center, The Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, The Susan F. Smith Center for Women’s Cancers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Breast Oncology Program, The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and The Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The Fashion Footwear Charitable Foundation makes its home at 274 Madison Avenue, Suite 1701, New York, NY 10016, www.FFANY.org.