WomenHeart Educational Programs and Support Services Benefit from $1.1 Million Donation from the Second Annual Burlington Coat Factory Red Dress Event

WASHINGTON, May 13, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease announced today a generous donation of $1,110,928 from the national off-price retailer, Burlington. These funds were generated as a result of the retailer's 2^nd Annual Red Dress Event. For the second consecutive year, from February through Easter, customers in all Burlington locations had the opportunity to purchase a red dress icon for $1 or more at check-out, as well as shop for a dress and Burlington would donate $1 for every dress purchased to show their support for the cause.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130513/DC13164)

Burlington's significant donation will advance WomenHeart's free support services and educational programs for women living with heart disease in communities throughout the country. It will also enable the organization to continue to support and educate Hispanic women – a high risk population for heart disease – through its new Para la Mujer Hispana initiative, made possible by funds raised during Burlington's first Red Dress Event in 2012.

"WomenHeart is so grateful to Burlington and its customers for the outpouring of support for women living with heart disease! Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in women, but with this generous support we will be able to expand our reach and save more lives!" said Lisa M. Tate, Chief Executive Officer of WomenHeart.

"Burlington and our generous customers have risen to the occasion once again in support of our second annual women's heart health initiative in partnership with WomenHeart," said Thomas Kingsbury, president and chief executive officer. "Once again, we set out to raise funds to further educate women on the importance of their heart health and to increase awareness that heart disease is the leading cause of death in women, and I am so proud to have accomplished our goals."

WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease is the nation's only patient centered organization serving the 43 million American women living with or at risk for heart disease – the leading cause of death for women. WomenHeart is solely devoted to advancing women's heart health through advocacy, community education, and the nation's only patient support network for women living with heart disease. WomenHeart is both a coalition and a community of thousands of members nationwide, including women heart patients and their families, healthcare professionals, and health advocates, all committed to helping women live longer, healthier lives. To join or donate, visit www.womenheart.org.

Burlington is a national off price retailer offering brand name merchandise for the entire family and the home with up to 65 percent off department store prices every day. Departments include ladies' dresses, suits, sportswear, juniors, accessories, menswear, family footwear and children's clothing. It also includes an assortment of furniture and accessories for baby at Baby Depot, home decor and gifts, along with the largest selection of coats in the nation for the entire family. Burlington was founded in 1972 and has expanded from a single store selling coats, to a multi-department retail chain with more than 500 stores in 44 States and Puerto Rico.  For more, visit www.BurlingtonCoatFactory.com

SOURCE WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women With Heart Disease

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Arizona lawmakers want cities to sell guns from buyback programs

By David Schwartz

PHOENIX (Reuters) - Arizona lawmakers, stepping into the contentious national gun control debate, approved a controversial measure on Tuesday mandating that cities and counties resell firearms turned in during gun buyback programs rather than melt them down.

The Republican-controlled Arizona state Senate voted 18-12 to no longer allowed firearms to be destroyed by local municipalities, saying it was a waste of taxpayer money. The state House approved the bill in March.

The measure must now be signed or vetoed by Republican Governor Jan Brewer, a staunch gun rights advocate. A spokesman for the governor declined comment on the fate of the legislation late on Tuesday.

State Senator Rick Murphy, a Republican, said destroying the turned-in weapons was a waste of money that could be generated by these gun sales and has urged his colleagues to cast aside the "emotional rhetoric" raised when the issue of guns comes up for public debate.

But Democratic State Senator Steve Gallardo said Arizona needs to stop wasting its time on such bills and embark on a serious discussion about guns.

"We should have a serious debate on firearm safety and accessibility," Gallardo said. "We have the most liberal gun laws in the nation and that has to stop. We need to start working on how to get guns out of the hands of criminals."

Gallardo had proposed 17 amendments to the bill to try to force the debate, ranging from universal background checks to bans on large ammunition magazines. All of them failed.

Arizona has become front and center in the larger gun debate being played out across the nation, sparked by a mass shooting outside a Tucson supermarket in 2011 that killed six people and left former Representative Gabrielle Giffords gravely wounded.

That national debate intensified this past December after a gunman shot dead 26 people, including 20 children, at a rampage at a Connecticut elementary school.

Since the Connecticut massacre, Giffords and her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, have jumped into the gun debate by forming the non-profit Americans for Responsible Solutions and advocating for changes in federal gun laws.

On a national level, the U.S. Senate has scheduled a vote on Wednesday for a bipartisan proposal for expanded background checks for gun buyers, but it appeared short on Tuesday of the 60 votes needed to clear the Senate.

(Editing by David Bailey, Cynthia Johnston and Lisa Shumaker)

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