The Joy to Life Foundation will pay the first year’s license tag fee of $50 if supporters of the organization commit to pre-order a special Joy to Life Fight Breast Cancer license tag (Alabama Tag No. 87) before the Oct. 31, 2008, deadline.

The foundation encourages supporters to order quickly because of the deadline to collect 1,000 commitments needed to send the tag into production. There is no need to wait until the individual’s current tag expires. If supporters have already renewed their tag for 2008, they can still pre-order. Free personalization is available, and those who order the tag will simply continue to use their current Alabama license plate until the new tags are produced.

The distinctive Fight Breast Cancer license plate will benefit the Joy to Life Foundation, a nonprofit organization providing free mammograms for medically underserved women less than 50 years of age in Alabama. Currently, the foundation serves Montgomery, Autauga and Elmore counties. Funding from the Fight Breast Cancer car tag would allow the organization to enlarge its reach to include all 67 Alabama counties.

The Alabama Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program of the Alabama Department of Public Health, funded through grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, seeks to detect breast and cervical cancers at their earliest stages and thus reduce the mortality rate from these diseases.

Of the more than 55,000 women who have been screened since 1997, approximately 1,205 women have been diagnosed with invasive breast or cervical cancer. Eleven uninsured or underinsured women under age 50 have been diagnosed and successfully treated thanks to cancer care funded by Joy to Life.

Joy and Richard Blondheim of Montgomery founded Joy to Life in 2001. Mrs. Blondheim is a breast cancer survivor and the Blondheims have dedicated their time and efforts to women who are fighting to win the battle against breast cancer. After extensive research, the Blondheims formed a partnership with the Alabama Department of Public Health’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program to provide mammograms to women less than 50 years of age who do not have private insurance and cannot afford mammograms. “If we can reach these women early enough, we believe lives can be saved,” states Mrs. Blondheim. The Joy to Life Foundation has been able to provide over 1,700 mammograms to date.

More information about the Joy to Life Fight Breast Cancer car tag (including detailed ordering instructions) or the Joy to Life Foundation can be found at www.joytolife.org or by calling (334)-284-LIFE (5433).

To find out whether you, a family member or friend qualify for the ABCCED Program call 1-877-252-3324 toll free.