The Maurer Foundation for Breast Health Education announces receipt of a generous donation from Syosset High School. The school recently hosted a walk-a-thon to benefit The Maurer Foundation in-school breast health literacy programs.

Students, faculty, parents and community members joined together to participate and heighten awareness about breast health education and the importance of early detection. Participants donned pink and walked once around the school to the triumphant sounds of the marching band. Dr. Virginia Maurer, founder and medical advisor of The Maurer Foundation, also participated in the walk and was onsite afterward to meet students and thank them for their support.

Each year, The Maurer Foundation provides in-school breast health literacy programs to over 1,100 students at Syosset High School.

"We are grateful to everyone who was involved in this remarkable achievement," said Kim Rozzi, executive director of The Maurer Foundation. "Syosset High School's efforts and generous donation to our organization will help ensure the continued availability of our in-school breast health literacy programs throughout the New York metro area."

The Maurer Foundation in-school breast health literacy programs teach risk reduction behavior modification and accurate breast self-examination to high school students with a standardized health promotion, disease prevention curriculum. The student-centered, culturally competent syllabus, aligned with National and State Learning Standards in Health Education, is presented by Maurer certified breast health educators. Students learn how to recognize changes in their own breast tissue and become advocates of their own health through oral presentation, role-play, skill modeling and applied learning. The program augments general public school health education curricula and allows for concentrated and intensive breast self-examination "time-on-task."

The Maurer Foundation for Breast Health Education is an independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization sanctioned to train and certify breast health educators in the MammaCare(r) System (backed by The National Cancer Institute) as well as being certified to directly provide community breast health programs. It is the only organization nationwide providing free breast health education programs to adolescents in the classroom. Since being founded in 1995 by Long Island breast surgeon Dr. Virginia E. Maurer, the foundation has raised the level of breast health literacy throughout the metro area with direct service educational programs, training and resources.