Media Center - Press Releases

BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS CAN EXPERIENCE FREE MENOPAUSE

CONTACT: Dickie Blondheim

PHONE: (334)284-LIFE (5433)

Area breast cancer survivors are being offered a chance to see the popular stage show Menopause: The Musical free of charge thanks to the Joy to Life Foundation and the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.

"When someone purchases a ticket to this Tuesday night’s performance, they can invite a breast cancer survivor to come with them for free,” said Joy to Life Foundation co-founder Joy Blondheim. “It’s just our way of showing support for our area survivors."

Joy to Life had a very large turnout for their first "Joy to Life Night" at "Menopause: The Musical" on Tuesday, July 12. The Tuesday, July 19 “Joy to Life Night” is geared toward packing the house with breast cancer survivors who are encouraged to wear Joy to Life t-shirts so they can be easily recognized.

As with the first “Joy to Life Night”, this Tuesday’s patrons can nosh on pink cupcakes and visit a cash bar serving pink martinis beginning at 6:30.

As an added bonus, those who purchased tickets before July 10, will have a chance to win a Joy to Life pink trash can in a drawing to be held prior to the show.

Menopause: The Musical is a hilarious celebration of women who are on the brink of, in the middle of or have survived “The Change”. The show features 25 parodies of classic baby boomer hits including "Hot Flash" ("Heat Wave"), "My Thighs" ("My Guy") and "Stayin' Awake" ("Stayin' Alive"). The show is an adult comedy in which the female characters speak frankly about the physical and emotional changes experienced by women going through menopause and contains sexual humor and innuendo.

Details regarding tickets and discounts, as well as information about the Joy to Life Foundation can be found at the organization’s web site (www.joytolife.org) or by calling (334)-284-LIFE (5433).

JOY TO LIFE CELEBRATES TENTH ANNUAL WALK OF LIFE

CONTACT: Dickie Blondheim

PHONE: (334)284-LIFE (5433)

The Joy to Life Foundation will celebrate its tenth annual Walk of Life for breast cancer on Saturday, April 16th in downtown Montgomery. The 5K run/walk begins at 8:30am.

While, the Walk is Joy to Life's primary fund-raising event, it didn't start out that way. "We only had 250 people participate in the inaugural Walk," said Joy Blondheim, who founded the Joy to Life Foundation along with her husband, Dickie. "Last year we had well over 4,000 attend so it has grown tremendously!" Upwards of 5,000 participants are expected to attend this year's event, which will feature numerous family-friendly elements such as the Mighty Kids Dash, music provided by an MC and DJ from Miami, caricature artists and more. Numerous vendors will also be present at the end-of-the-Walk gathering at the Riverfront Amphitheater with a wide array of items for sale. "We’re also very excited that we're giving away a new car this year," said Mrs. Blondheim. "Everyone who registered by March 31 is eligible to win a new 2011 Hyundai Elantra GLS."

"There are several important changes to this year’s Walk, including the route as well as the starting and ending points," stated Mr. Blondheim. "We really want folks to be aware that we're not going to be at Cramton Bowl like we have for the past several years." He noted that this year's event would start adjacent to Riverwalk Stadium at the corner of Coosa Street and Tallapoosa Street and end at the tunnel entrance for the Riverfront Amphitheater. "We want everyone to head over to the Amphitheater after the Walk," Blondheim said. "There will be lots more to do and see over there than we've had in year's past." Mr. Blondheim added that in addition to the music and vendors, that Cumulus Broadcasting would be doling out prizes for boats that come to the site decorated in pink. Boat owners are being encouraged to anchor on the river behind the Amphitheater by 8:30 am for judging.

The Joy to Life Foundation is a non-profit organization providing free mammograms for medically underserved women less than 50 years of age in 29 Alabama counties. Mrs. Blondheim is a breast cancer survivor and the couple has dedicated their time and efforts to women who are fighting to win the battle against breast cancer.

More information about the Joy to Life Foundation and the Walk of Life can be found at the organization's website www.joytolife.org or by calling (334)-284-LIFE (5433).

FOUNDATION TALKS TRASH FOR BREAST CANCER

CONTACT: Dickie Blondheim

PHONE: (334)284-LIFE (5433)

The Joy to Life Foundation has just the thing for Montgomery residents looking for a unique way to show their support for breast cancer awareness -- 96-gallon pink trash can! The cans bear the Foundations logo along with the phrase “Trash breast cancer. Together we can” and come in the unmistakable shade of pink that is the Foundation’s signature color.

"Imagine on trash day looking down your street and seeing it lined with these pink trash cans", says the Joy to Life Foundation’s Dickie Blondheim. "What a great statement that would make. It’s all about raising awareness for breast cancer. We’re starting in Montgomery, but plan to take this program state-wide."

At this point, the cans are only available for service within the city limits of Montgomery and for those using the City's sanitation services. "The City of Montgomery has really helped us tremendously with this project", says Blondheim. "They have agreed to collect the pink cans on normal pick-up days and they are going to waive the additional $16/month fee for servicing the pink container provided that folks only place one container at the curb for service at a time. Plus, if someone buys one of our pink cans they’ll get to keep their City issued container as well."

Each Joy to Life pink trash can order will require a minimum donation of $75. Joy to Life is continuing to work to make the pink cans available throughout the State of Alabama. Please check their website often to get the latest updates on where the pink cans will be showing up next.

More information about the Joy to LIfe Pink Trash Cans and the Joy to Life Foundation can be found at www.joytolife.org or by calling (334)-284-LIFE (5433).

River Region Residents Dance to Fight Breast Cancer

CONTACT: Richard Blondheim

PHONE: (334)284-LIFE (5433)

Tuesday, October 12, the River Region will get an exclusive look at a seldom seen side of the fight against breast cancer—a side that makes you want to dance. The Joy to Life Foundation along with Big Dreamz Creative will host the premier of the “Pink Glove Project” music video at the Alley Station Ballroom.

“We certainly understand that breast cancer is a serious thing,” stated Big Dreamz Creative’s Tommy Fields—the video’s co-creator. “We’ve met some incredible survivors working with Joy to Life. We just wanted to show how communities could come together for a cause in a unique and even humorous way to help raise awareness”. The video features companies, residents and celebrities from Montgomery, Autauga and Elmore counties dancing while wearing pink surgical gloves. Even high-profile community leaders get into the act. “Mayors Strange and Byard do some acting in the video,” Fields noted. “You’ll get to see a different side of them, that’s for sure. Everyone who participated did it to help fight breast cancer. They put their gloves on and came out dancing!”

The video got its start at the Joy to Life Foundation’s 2010 Walk of Life. “The founders of Joy to Life, Joy and Dickie Blondheim, asked us if we could create a giant pink awareness ribbon made from people wearing pink surgical gloves,” says Big Dreamz Creative’s Nancy Fields, the video’s other co-creator. “We had an amazing number of people come together to form this ribbon. After it was over, we decided that we needed to take the concept into the surrounding communities. That’s when we decided to produce the music video.”

The evening’s festivities will last from 6:00-8:00pm and will feature the music video along with an “out-take reel”, a fashion show of new Joy to Life merchandise and a few surprises. Admission is free and guests are invited to stop by a cash bar at SaZa before and after the premier for specially priced “pinked” drinks and hors de’oeuvres.

View the Pink Glove Project video.

More information about the Pink Glove Project and the Joy to Life Foundation can be found at www.joytolife.org or by calling (334)-284-LIFE (5433). Big Dreamz Creative can be contacted at 334-590-3000 or visit bigdreamz.com.

Joy to Life Foundation Looks to Create Unique Bit Of History

CONTACT: Richard Blondheim

PHONE: (334)284-LIFE (5433)

The Ninth Annual Joy to Life Foundation’s Walk of Life for breast cancer will be held on Saturday, April 17 at Montgomery’s Cramton Bowl. While the event will likely set records for attendance and monies collected, the organizers are looking to create a unique bit of history by creating the state’s largest pink awareness ribbon made entirely by dancing event participants wearing pink surgical gloves. Dubbed the “Pink Glove Project”, the creation of the giant ribbon will be the culmination of weeks of planning and community participation including numerous local celebrities who have donned the gloves and danced in front of cameras for a video documentary about the event. “We got the idea from watching a Pink Glove Dance video on YouTube,” said Joy to Life co-founder Dickie Blondheim. “However, the group that made that particular video worked in a hospital and the video only featured hospital staff. Our event is much bigger in it’s scope and we know we’re going to have a record number of people on the day of the Walk to help us make the largest pink ribbon in Alabama.”

The Walk of Life, the Foundation’s primary fund-raising event, is in its ninth year. While only 250 people participated in the inaugural Walk, well over 3,000 are expected to attend this year’s event, which will feature numerous family-friendly elements such as caricature artists, the Mighty Kids Dash, live music and more.

The Joy to Life Foundation, a non-profit organization providing free mammograms for medically underserved women less than 50 years of age in Alabama, was founded in 2001 by Joy and Dickie Blondheim. Mrs. Blondheim is a breast cancer survivor and the Blondheims have dedicated their time and efforts to women who are fighting to win the battle against breast cancer. Currently, the Foundation serves 28 Alabama counties.

More information about the Joy to Life Foundation, the Walk of Life and the Pink Gloves Project can be found at www.joytolife.org or by calling (334)-284-LIFE (5433). View the Pink Glove Project video.

Breast Cancer TV Wins National Award

CONTACT: Richard Blondheim

PHONE: (334)284-LIFE (5433)

Big Dreamz Creative, a Prattville-based media production company which focuses on videography, photography and design, has been awarded a Silver W3 Award from the International Academy of the Visual Arts (IAVA) for their work on the web site www.breastcancertv.net (BCTV). The site, which is an outreach of the Joy to Life Foundation, is unique in that it is video-driven. The site currently features over twenty videos focusing on a variety of subjects of interest to the breast cancer community--including life stories from breast cancer survivors.

“We are very proud of the work we have done for BCTV,” said Nancy Fields, Big Dreamz Creative’s Art Director. “The site is a wonderful source of information for anyone dealing with breast cancer and there’s more to come. Being recognized from almost 3,000 entrants lets you know that we’re not just providing information, but we’re doing it creatively and effectively.”

In it’s fourth year, the W³ Awards honors creative excellence on the web, and recognizes the creative and marketing professionals behind award winning sites, marketing programs, and video work created for the web. In honoring outstanding websites, web advertising, and web video, the W³ Awards is the first major web competition to be accessible to the biggest agencies, the smallest firms, and everyone in between

"We were incredibly impressed by the quality and creativity of this year’s entries. W3 winners continue to set the bar in Web development and design, push the limits of web advertising creativity and advance the use of web video. We are thrilled to have reviewed such a diverse and respected pool of work,” said Linda Day, the executive director of the IAVA, an invitation‐only body consisting of top‐tier professionals from acclaimed media, interactive, advertising, and marketing firms. "On behalf of the entire Academy, we congratulate this year’s W³ Award winners as they continue to advance Internet creativity and greatly contribute to the robust and ever-changing online community."