Kohl’s donates $1.7 million to support fight against cancer

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. — Kohl’s is continuing its partnerships with the American Cancer Society and the Southeast Wisconsin affiliate of Susan G. Komen. To that end, the retailer and its philanthropic platform, Kohl’s Cares, have donated $1.7 million to support and expand education and patient-assistance programs.

Kohl’s partnership with the American Cancer Society includes its role as the local presenting sponsor for the 2013 American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Milwaukee and flagship sponsor for walks in Green Bay, Fox Valley and Eau Claire. Kohl’s Cares will also serve as the local presenting sponsor of the 2013 Susan G. Komen Southeast Wisconsin Race for the Cure in September for the fourth consecutive year.

“Kohl’s is pleased to continue our partnerships with both the American Cancer Society and Susan G. Komen,” said Kevin Mansell, Kohl’s chairman, president and CEO. “We are proud to support the fight against breast cancer, including programs that provide important resources to help local women."

The Kohl's Breast Health for Women program, in partnership with American Cancer Society, focuses on keeping women healthy, reducing their risk of getting breast cancer, providing access to breast cancer screenings and supporting women diagnosed with breast cancer to make informed decisions about their care and address barriers to treatment.

“The American Cancer Society estimates that approximately 4,490 Wisconsin women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year alone,” said David Benson, American Cancer Society, Midwest Division EVP. “Our partnership with Kohl’s Cares continues to meet a critical need in our community. By working together, we’re able to help local women and their families learn ways to prevent and detect breast cancer early and find supporting services as they undergo treatment.”

The donation of $1 million to the American Cancer Society over the next year will help sustain current programs and fund the following program enhancements:

• Additional online resources: Upgrades will be made to acskohlsbreasthealth.com, offering visitors additional services including a diet and exercise tracker, healthy recipes, and a breast cancer screening tracker. Online enhancements will also allow visitors to more easily share success stories on a variety of social channels.

• Breast health guidebooks: The American Cancer Society will continue to distribute breast health guidebooks containing important information on breast health, free of charge to the public. In an effort to distribute even more guidebooks at more local events, smaller versions of the guidebooks with the same important breast health information will be distributed for convenience and ease of use.

Kohl’s Conversations for the Cure, a grassroots educational program that encourages women to take action for their breast health, continues to serve as the cornerstone of the Kohl’s Cares partnership with the Southeast Wisconsin Affiliate of Susan G. Komen. In addition, Kohl’s Southeast Wisconsin Breast Health Assistance Fund aids in supporting Kohl’s Conversations for the Cure by providing funds for screening, diagnostic and treatment services for low income women.

“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Kohl’s Cares,” said Nikki Panico, Susan G. Komen executive director. “The number of local women who are benefitting from this partnership continues to grow, and we look forward to expanding our reach to assist more Wisconsin women and families in need of breast health services.”

The donation of more than $700,000 throughtout the next year will help retain current Kohl’s Cares programs and fund the following Kohl’s Conversations for the Cure program enhancements:

• Program expansion: Previously focused in inner-city Milwaukee, Kohl’s Conversations for the Cure will expand into suburban Milwaukee, Racine, Waukesha and Walworth counties targeting specific communities where a need for breast health services and information has been identified.

• Calendar tool: A new public calendar, launched in May 2013, provides details about upcoming public Kohl’s Conversations for the Cure events in an effort to increase breast health awareness and access to information.

Kohl’s partnership with the American Cancer Society and the Southeast Wisconsin Affiliate of Susan G. Komen builds upon Kohl’s long history of charitable involvement in the communities it serves. Since 2000, Kohl’s and the Kohl’s Cares program have combined to give more than $60 million to support charitable initiatives in the metro-Milwaukee area. In addition, throughout the past 12 years, the company’s Kohl’s Cares kids cause merchandise program, which sells plush toys and books, has raised more than $231 million to benefit children's health and education initiatives nationwide.

Kohl’s operates 1,155 stores in 49 states. In support of the communities it serves, Kohl’s has raised more than $231 million for children’s initiatives nationwide through its Kohl’s Cares cause merchandise program, which operates under Kohl's Cares, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kohl's Department Stores, Inc.