Interactive campaign to raise awareness on breast cancer

This week, Yoplait, in partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure, launched Know Your Girls, an interactive campaign that empowers young women to learn about breast cancer risk factors -- and then share this knowledge with their circle of friends.

Know Your Girls connects young women to valuable information and one another in order to raise awareness of the fact that young women can and do get breast cancer. Thousands of young women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the next year,* but most young women don't consider the risks of getting the disease until they are older or are touched by it through a friend or relative. Yoplait encourages all young women to sign on to this campaign to learn how to protect their "girls" and share the information with their friends.

"The Know Your Girls program is designed to engage young women, help them connect with each other through education, and ultimately pass along information on the best breast-health habits and screening measures," said Tammy Sadinsky Martin, senior marketing manager for Yoplait. "There still is no cure for breast cancer, so education and early detection programs are some of the strongest defenses against the disease; we are asking young women to educate themselves and spread awareness to their peers."

Yoplait invites young women to visit Facebook.com/YoplaitPledge. Here, they can access tips on how to protect their "girls," become more aware of breast cancer risk factors, and pledge to protect themselves and their friends. For every pledge received by October 31, 2009, Yoplait will donate 10 cents to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, up to $100,000. Money raised through the Know Your Girls program will help fund new research led by breast cancer survivor and researcher Dr. Kristi Egland, which could detect and diagnose breast cancer at the earliest stage.

"By taking proactive steps to learn about breast health at a younger age through programs like Know Your Girls, women can educate themselves and those they care about," explains Karen White of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. "This campaign is fun, yet ultimately has a serious purpose -- to raise awareness that breast cancer happens to young women, too."

At Facebook.com/YoplaitPledge, women can share information with their friends, take informational quizzes, and watch a video about other young women making the pledge.

During the past 11 years, Yoplait has donated more than $22 million to the breast cancer cause through programs such as Save Lids to Save Lives. Know Your Girls builds on this commitment and helps to educate young women on how to take an active part in their breast health.

*According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 10,000 young women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year.