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Winner of the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund - November 6, 2007
Marilynn Fulton Honored with $5,000 Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund Award
November 6, 2007

Jacksonville, Arkansas Resident Wins Cash Award To Provide Vital Cancer Screenings And Education To Women In Need


(New York, NY, November 6, 2007) Jacksonville, Arkansas resident Marilynn Fulton, 54, is one step closer to fulfilling her dream of creating a better tomorrow for her community. Marilynn was named this week’s winner of the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund, a weekly $5,000 cash award program from Avon Products, Inc. to support individuals in their work to empower women. Marilynn will use her award to create a cancer awareness and education program for low-income and uninsured women in her community who are ineligible for the state’s medical services.

Marilynn has been working with cancer-related organizations for more than ten years. Through a collaborative agreement with the Arkansas Department of Health’s BreastCare Program – which offers education as well as free screenings, health services and care to under – and uninsured women over 40 – Marilynn was responsible for seeking out and securing funding for breast and cervical cancer outreach and guidance through both BreastCare and other conventional programs. Though BreastCare offered much-needed services, Marilyn also recognized a large, underserved population of ineligible women, including those under forty and those at risk for other types of cancer.

In the fight against cancer, early detection and awareness offer the best opportunity for successful treatment. It is Marilynn’s goal to equip all women with these vital defenses and close the eligibility gap in services offered by the state. Marilynn’s mission begins in her community. She will provide education and awareness on breast, cervical, ovarian and uterine cancer, and HPV to the residents of the Sunnyside and Henry Estates in Jacksonville, a primarily minority and single-parent home community. Marilynn will educate these underserved women – who do not meet state BreastCare guidelines – about the diseases’ risk factors, the importance of medical screenings, and how to perform a breast self-exam.

Now, thanks to her Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund award, Marilynn will be able to offer vital services to women in need. The money will be used to provide mammograms and pap tests to those who could not otherwise afford them. Funds will also be allocated towards basic operating expenses. The award money will allow Marilynn to offer preventative medical screenings to at least 175 young women, and reach many more through the awareness and outreach program.

Marilynn’s winning application to the Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund fell under the category of “Awareness & Outreach,” one of three areas the Fund supports. Her proposal met the criteria to clearly present unique and achievable objectives to empower women or girls and ultimately improve society. It was selected from a pool of strong contenders by an expert panel of judges, including Suze Orman, America’s most recognized expert on personal finance. “It’s hard not to be touched by those who see a problem and then take action, time out of their own lives, and in some cases, money out of their own pockets to do something about it,” said Orman of Marilynn. “I have a feeling that Marilynn, who only has a high school diploma, is such a woman. I believe her.”

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