BOSTON - (March 4, 2008) The Boston LUNA Chix welcome LUNAFEST®, the fundraising film festival dedicated to promoting awareness about women's issues, highlighting women filmmakers, and bringing women together in their communities, to the historic Coolidge Corner Theatre on Monday, March 10. The film festival features women as leaders in society, illustrated through nine short films by women filmmakers. The films range from animation to fictional drama, and cover topics such as women's health, motherhood, body image, sexuality, cultural diversity, and breaking barriers. For a preview of the films, go here.

Colleen O'Farrell, an assistant director at Fox News in Boston and a breast cancer survivor, will emcee LUNAFEST. O'Farrell's life took a sickening turn at age 19 when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease. She was treated with radiation for three months but it recurred a year later. She received six courses of chemotherapy in six months but the battle waged on.  She was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2007 at age 36. She has since received four courses of chemotherapy over a three-month period and has beaten the disease into remission.

"I'm happy to be a part of LUNAFEST, because having gone through breast cancer, I know first hand the terror and horror of hearing the diagnosis and subsequent treatment," O'Farrell said. "I hope my story will encourage other women to take preventative steps, so hopefully they will never have to go through it themselves." 

To enhance the experience, members of the Boston LUNA Chix running and cycling teams have collected a rich variety of prizes to be raffled off during intermission. Spa gift certificates, performance clothing, restaurant gifts certificates, movie passes, gift baskets, and handcrafted silver jewelry count among some of the items generously donated by local and national businesses.

"Our unofficial motto at Pyara is 'Balance Through Beauty' and the LUNA Chix program is a great example of this," said Christine Perkins of Pyara Spa and Salon in Harvard Square. "As a company LUNA has very similar ideas to AVEDA by taking it further than 'just a product.' At Pyara we love that LUNA takes it another step by having LUNA Chix ambassadors all across the country, which gives women support through another outlet.  We are always looking to support women's issues as well as environmental ones, so supporting LUNAFEST is right up our alley."

Each participant will receive a raffle ticket with a film festival ticket purchase. Additional raffle tickets are available for $5 each or three for $10.

All proceeds from LUNAFEST will benefit the Breast Cancer Fund, a national organization that identifies and advocates for the elimination of environmental causes of the disease. The BCF is the only national breast cancer organization focused solely on prevention.   Thus far, LUNAFEST, which is created and funded by LUNA®, The Whole Nutrition Bar for Women®, has raised more than $150,000 for the BCF and more than $300,000 for other women's non-profit organizations.

WHEN: Monday, March 10
TIME: 7 PM
WHERE: Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard Street, Brookline, Mass.
**Free parking behind the theatre
TICKETS: $10 in advance; $12 at the door
Purchase tickets now at: www.bostonlunachixcycling.com
CONTACT:
Susan Sherwin
ssherwin@...
617-216-3901
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT:
www.lunafest.org

About LUNA and the Breast Cancer Fund
Support for the Breast Cancer Fund has been at the core of the LUNA brand since its launch in 1999. The two partner together on a variety of national initiatives including: LUNAFEST, a traveling women's short film festival, and Team LUNA Chix, a network of women's community based sports teams. Both programs raise money and awareness for Breast Cancer Fund through local events.

It's a potent combination: LUNA is the best selling women's energy bar and Breast Cancer Fund's top corporate supporter. LUNA's commitment to women's issues, nutrition and environmental sustainability made them a perfect fit with the Breast Cancer Fund's precautionary, prevention-focused, and sustainable approach to protecting human health from toxic chemicals and dangerous, environmental exposures. The Breast Cancer Fund's mission is to identify and eliminate the environmental - and preventable - causes of the disease. To date, LUNA has given over $1.5 Million in support of Breast Cancer Fund, 20 percent of which has come from LUNA's community based activism and fundraising efforts.

About Boston's Team LUNA Chix Cycling Team
Team LUNA Chix is a group of women nationwide who serve as ambassadors for the sports of cycling, running and triathlon. Boston's Cycling team is a group of ten athletes dedicated to welcoming women of all abilities into the cycling community. For more information, or to get involved, visit www.bostonlunachixcycling.com or contact team captain Roz Puleo at chix@...  Boston's Run team is a group of seven athletes dedicated to welcoming women of all abilities into the running community. For more information, or to get involved, visit www.bostonlunachix.com or contact team captain Katrina Sladky at bostonlunachix@....  Both teams conduct clinics and events for local women  while also raising awareness for the Breast Cancer Fund.

An online version of this release can be viewed here: www.bostonlunachixcycling.com/News/08_PR1.html

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