Ian Ginsberg, President of C.O. Bigelow Apothecaries and his wife, Stephanie supported The Breast Cancer Research Foundation® (BCRF), through Pink Promises, an inaugural benefit on Long Island in honor of Stephanie’s sister Betsy Swersky’s experience with breast cancer.  Over 950 guests attended raising $850,000 to fund innovative breast cancer research. Dr. Robert Benezra of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center remarked on how impactful the contribution from Pink Promises will be to the work he and his fellow BCRF-funded scientists are conducting.  Elyse Luray of PBS’s Treasure Hunters led the live auction and the evening concluded with a performance by rising pop star Matisse. Also in attendance were LXTV anchor Sara Gore, Rock of Ages producer Jeff Davis, make-up artist Sonia Kashuk, cartoonist and author of Cancer Vixen Marisa Acocella Marchetto, and jewelry designer Judith Ripka.  Premier Sponsors were:  C.O. Bigelow, Buller Family Foundation and Marjam Supply Company, BNY Mellon, Estée Lauder Companies

The Breast Cancer Research Foundation® was founded in 1993 by Evelyn H. Lauder as an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to funding innovative clinical and translational research.  In October 2010, BCRF will award $33 million to over 170 scientists across the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia.  Currently, more than 88 cents of each dollar donated to the Foundation goes directly to breast cancer research and awareness programs.  And the American Institute of Philanthropy has awarded the Foundation its highest possible rating of A+.  BCRF is the only breast cancer organization to receive this accolade, and is the only cancer organization to currently hold this ranking.  For more information about BCRF, visit www.bcrfcure.org.