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The American Breast Cancer Foundation Partners with Koppy’s Propane, Inc. to Raise Breast Cancer Awareness in Central and Southeastern Pennsylvannia

By: ABCF Staff

THE AMERICAN BREAST CANCER FOUNDATION PARTNERS WITH KOPPY’S PROPANE INC. TO RAISE BREAST CANCER AWARENESS IN CENTRAL AND SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA

New Partnership Expands the Nationwide Propane Manufacturers and Distributors Association’s Campaign for Awareness

BALTIMORE (March 5, 2009), The American Breast Cancer Foundation (ABCF) a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to providing direct financial assistance to uninsured and underinsured individuals for diagnostic tests to aid in the early detection and survival of breast cancer, today announced it has partnered with Koppy’s Propane Inc. to expand the Campaign for Awareness in central and southeastern Pennsylvania.

Koppy’s Propane is a family owned and operated propane supplier serving residential, commercial, and wholesale customers throughout central Pennsylvania. The company is headquartered in Williamstown, PA with satellite locations in Schuylkill Haven, Shamokin, and Port Royal.  Koppy’s put its first pink ribbon truck on the road in late 2008. For every gallon of fuel delivered by the truck, Koppy’s will donate one cent to the American Breast Cancer Foundation to support the Key to Life Breast Cancer Screening Program, which provides women and men in need with mammograms, biopsies and support services for the detection and treatment of breast cancer.  Koppy’s estimates their annual donation to be approximately $5,000.

The propane industry provides the American Breast Cancer Foundation with tremendous support through this campaign, said Phyllis Wolf, president of the American Breast Cancer Foundation. We are honored to have Koppy’s Propane join the campaign. The pink trucks generate a lot of interest and encourage women to get their first or annual mammograms.

While Koppy’s Propane had made the decision to participate in the Propane Manufacturers and Distributors Campaign for Awareness earlier, the catalyst for activating the program and ordering their own pink ribbon truck occurred when a family member was diagnosed with breast cancer. Kara Tucker, the great-granddaughter of Koppy’s founder, was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma at the age of 28.  As she began eight months of treatment for cancer, her father, now the owner of Koppys Propane, acted on their decision to put a pink ribbon truck on the road.

Kara Tucker said, I feel that one of the most noteworthy aspects of our story is that we have taken a negative situation in our lives and turned it into something positive. My hope is that our truck will not only produce important contributions to finding a cure through our annual donations, but also raise awareness among women and encourage them to take precautionary steps such as self exams and mammograms to maintain their breast health.

ABCF’s Key to Life Breast Cancer Assistance Program provides direct assistance in the form of financial grants for annual mammogram screenings and breast cancer diagnostic tests to find or rule out breast cancer. Each year, approximately 10,000 women and men nationwide receive services through the Key to Life Breast Cancer Assistance Program. Breast cancer patients may also be eligible for support items such as wigs, prosthesis and medications.