Wednesday, May 30, 2001

Ultimate Drive coming to Hank Aaron BMW

The fifth Ultimate Drive for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation will make its way to Hank Aaron BMW in Union City Wednesday, June 20.

The Ultimate Drive, a fund-raising partnership between BMW of North America, LLC, and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, is designed to raise money and awareness for breast cancer in more than 200 cities across the country. The program raised more than $4 million over the past four years and BMW expects to hit the $5 million mark this year.

From May through November, two fleets of specially marked BMWs will crisscross the country, making stops in approximately 200 cities. Each city and town will host a day-long fund-raising event, inviting the community to come out and test-drive a BMW. For every mile test-driven, BMW will donate $1 to the Komen Foundation. Over the past four years, the Ultimate Drive has attracted more than 115,000 participants.

During each event, the Ultimate Drive will identify a "local hero," a community member who will be celebrated for his or her efforts in the fight against breast cancer. A photograph of each hero will be permanently affixed to a specially designed BMW Signature Vehicle. The local hero and all participants then sign this vehicle, making it a visual testimonial to the individuals who are making a difference in the fight against this deadly disease.

The Signature Vehicle in each fleet this year will be a BMW 3 Series Sport Wagon.

For the second year, the Ultimate Drive will be accompanied by The Ultimate Child Safety Seat Clinic. Spurred on by statistics that revealed only about 4 percent of child safety seats are installed correctly, BMW and Britax (the world's largest safety seat manufacturer) last year established the clinic a hands-on safety program geared toward parents.

Due to popular demand, the clinic will once again travel across the country with the Ultimate Drive. In a dedicated tent, child passenger safety technicians, guided by the IACP traffic safety committee, will provide one-on-one demonstrations on the proper way to install child safety seats. Technicians will then oversee the participants installing the seats in their own vehicles, regardless of whether they be BMWs.

The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation was established in 1982 by Nancy Brinker to honor the memory of her sister, Susan G. Komen, who died from breast cancer at the age of 36. The Foundation is an international organization with a network of volunteers working through affiliates to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease by advancing research, education, screening and treatment.

The Komen Foundation runs one of the most innovative, responsive grant programs in breast cancer today, having awarded more than $68 million in research grants since its inception. In addition to funding research, the Foundation and its Affiliates fund non-duplicative, community-based breast health education and breast cancer screening and treatment projects for the medically underserved.

For more information about breast health or breast cancer, call the Komen Foundation's National Toll-Free Breast Care Helpline at 1-800-I'M-AWARE (1-800-462-9273) or visit the Foundation's Web site at www.breastcancerinfo.com.