The personal stories of three Kimberly-Clark employees will also play a role in the company’s mission to bring awareness to the cause. Nita Banjak, Brenda Nelson and Kathy Schlichenmayer are all breast cancer survivors. For Nita, a marketing manager in Neenah, the diagnosis of breast cancer came after the birth of her second child. Brenda, who is director of business planning for family care, got the news when she was only 39. And for Kathy, integrated marketing coordinator, a routine mammogram detected the disease when she was 53.

K-C showcased three of its own – Brenda Nelson, Kathy Schlichenmayer and Anita Banjak – on select packaging during Breast Cancer Awareness Month at Kroger stores.

“Breast cancer affects 200,000 women and their families each year in the U.S.,” said Laura Keely, director of Kimberly-Clark’s consumer promotion marketing. “It's not only that it affects our employees, but the massive impact of the disease on women and their families across the country inspired Kimberly-Clark to raise both funds and awareness for the cause.”

As a part of the program, the Viva brand donated 10 cents for each package of paper towels purchased at select retailers during the month of October and also donated $5 for each new consumer who registered as a member of its online Viva Diva Café. The promotion will bring in an estimated $125,000 to $200,000 for The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

The Huggies brand will donate 20 cents for each tub of Huggies Baby Wipes Gentle Care Sensitive baby wipes featuring Komen graphics purchased between Sept. 15 and Dec. 31, 2008. The brand will also donate $1 to the cause for each specially marked Huggies Gentle Care Sensitive refill box purchased at Sam’s Club through year’s end. The Huggies brand expects to raise an estimated $150,000 to $250,000.

The KOTEX brand donated $15,000 to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation during the month of October. The program ran in the Northeast at Stop and Shop, Giant and Shoprite stores.

Kimberly-Clark created unique in-store displays for specially marked packages of Viva Paper Towels, Kotex feminine care products and Huggies Diapers to generate additional interest in the promotion and awareness for the disease. These displays, found in Kroger stores nationwide, showcase the inspiring stories of cancer survivors Banjak, Nelson and Schlichenmayer.

“We hope these stories will inspire women to take an active role in the fight against breast cancer in their local communities and serve as a reminder to be regularly screened,” said Keely.Click here to link to their stories

Both organizations receiving donations have a long history of working to support the fight against breast cancer.

The Breast Cancer Research Foundation is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to achieve prevention and a cure for breast cancer in our lifetime. Since its inception, the Foundation has raised more than $220 million - $39.5 million in fiscal year 2007/08 alone - to support clinical and translational research at medical institutions across the globe.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure® is the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. Thanks to events like the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure®, the organization has invested more than $1.2 billion to fulfill this promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world.