Mary Kay Inc. and Break the Cycle Launch Initiative to Stop Teen Dating Violence
Lobbying for Good Effort Supports Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week
Dallas, Texas, Feb. 2, 2009 – In support of National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week and the company’s ongoing commitment to end domestic violence, Mary Kay Inc. is launching a national lobbying for good initiative. Together with non-profit partner Break the Cycle and its independent sales force, Mary Kay Inc. will encourage legislators across the United States to propose laws requiring healthy relationship education in schools. According to statistics provided by Break the Cycle, as many as one in three teens will experience abuse in a dating relationship; and, one in four eighth and ninth grade students reported being victims of dating violence in a recent report by the Family Violence Prevention Fund.
“The teen dating violence statistics are alarming and Mary Kay wants to do its part. Texas and Rhode Island are the only states that require domestic violence educational programs. We’d like to see more states pass laws about teaching healthy relationships and dating violence in middle and high schools. This will help put an end to domestic violence before it starts,” said Mary Kay Inc. Vice President of Government Relations Anne Crews.
Breaking the cycle of teen dating violence
As part of the effort, Mary Kay Inc. and Break the Cycle have launched an online petition at www.enddatingviolence.com to gather signatures and support for teen dating violence prevention and awareness programs in schools nationwide.
Beauty that Counts™
Mary Kay Inc. has partnered with Break the Cycle to sponsor a groundbreaking interactive DVD, Ending Violence. The Ending Violence DVD puts the organization’s teen dating violence prevention program into a multi-media format and will be available to schools this year.
The partnership was a result of Mary Kay’s first-ever global cause-related marketing campaign – Beauty that Counts™. The company donated just under $2 million from the 2008 worldwide sale of Mary Kay® Creme Lipstick in Apple Berry to causes that change the lives of women and children around the world. Break the Cycle was one of the beneficiaries.
Mary Kay has an ongoing commitment to lobbying for good. Beginning in the 1980s, Mary Kay Inc. lobbied state and national lawmakers advocating insurance coverage for mammograms and over the last 15 years lobbied for the federal Violence Against Women Act, its reauthorization and subsequent appropriations.
About Mary Kay Inc.
Mary Kay Inc., one of the largest direct sellers of skin care and color cosmetics, achieved another year of record results in 2008 with $2.6 billion in wholesale sales. Mary Kay® products are sold in more than 35 markets worldwide, and the company’s global independent sales force exceeds 2 million. To learn more about Mary Kay, log on to www.marykay.com or call 1 (800) MARY KAY (627.9529).
About Break the Cycle
Break the Cycle believes everyone has the right to safe and healthy relationships. As the leading voice for teens on the issue of dating violence, Break the Cycle advocates for policy and legislative changes that will better protect the rights and promote the health of teens nationwide. Engaging, educating and empowering youth through prevention and intervention programs, Break the Cycle helps young people identify and build healthy relationships. For more information, please visit www.breakthecycle.org or call 310.286.3383.