Driving Down Deaths in Colorado” Campaign

Football Legend Mark Jackson to Lead a $250,000
“Driving Down Deaths in Colorado” Campaign

A press conference will be held on Tuesday, 6-30-09 from 10am-11am at Sisters of Color United for Education at 2895 W. 8th Ave., Denver, 80204 to announce a campaign to support ongoing services for HIV/AIDS, Diabetes, Cancer, Suicide Prevention, Heart Disease and Domestic/Substance Abuse Programs for Colorado’s low-income Latinos.

Denver, CO
Former Denver Broncos member of the “Tres Amigos” and community/business leader Mark Jackson is kicking-off a new fundraising campaign the proceeds of which will support the Sisters of Color United for Education (“SISTERS”) highly successful prevention education, early detection, and treatment referral programs. Tragically, many deaths from HIV/AIDS, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Sexual/Domestic Violence, Teen Suicide and Cancer among low income Latinos – those served by Sisters - are preventable.
The disturbing facts are:
· In Colorado, Hispanics have gone from 9% of the newly detected HIV infected cases to 29% today.
· Hispanics nationwide are 1.6 times as likely as whites to die from diabetes.
· Hispanics represent just 20% of Colorado’s population but Hispanic women account for 60% of all cervical cancer deaths in the state.
· Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among female Hispanics in Colorado with Hispanic women accounting for 46% of all such deaths in the state.

As to the question of why he is leading this campaign, Mark says, “When I toured SISTER’s facility with the Founders, Belinda Garcia and Bernadette Berzoza, it was immediately clear to me that the staff is dedicated to reaching Latino families in a host of ways that have saved their lives”.

He went on to say that, “SISTERS is the only, and I mean only, safe haven that many of these families have where they can receive the information/education and the tools they need to save their lives and the lives of family members”.

This is just one more community activity championed by Mark Jackson who has for years been actively involved in the work of such organizations as: Big Brothers, Children’s Hospital, D.A.R.E., Ronald McDonald House, Open Door Youth Gang Alternatives, March of Dimes, among others. Joining Mark on SISTERS Campaign Task Force are radio personality,
DJ “ Skip the Funktologist”, KUVO, 89.3, Matt Casias, Owner of Power Imaging, Elizabeth Salamanca, E.D. of the Latina Chamber and other community/business leaders committed to improving the health and well-being members of the Denver’s Latino community.

This new campaign will give SISTERS - operating since 1989 – the resources it and its partners need to carry out critically important prevention education, early detection, and treatment referral programs. The campaign will be launched with the press conference and its first kick-off event “Dancing for a Great Cause” will be held on Thursday evening, July 25 at the LOFT Denver. A calendar of monthly events and other fundraising activities will be announced shortly.

For more information, contact Cheryl L. Lucero @ 720.299.5268.