Hooters Donates $250,000 Toward Breast Cancer Research

PRNewswire/ -- For the third consecutive year, Hooters restaurants across the country raised money for the V Foundation for Cancer Research in the name of former Hooters Girl Kelly Jo Dowd. A check for $250,000 was presented to CEO of the V Foundation for Cancer Research Nick Valvano, basketball analyst Dick Vitale and Kelly Jo's husband Mike Dowd during the Hooters 12th Annual International Swimsuit Pageant in Fort Lauderdale. The money will go toward a $2 Million grant which was established to honor Kelly Jo, who lost her battle to breast cancer in 2007 after fighting the dreaded disease for 5 years.

Kelly Jo began her Hooters career as one of the original Hooters Girls in Clearwater, Florida who graced the 1995 Hooters calendar cover and worked her way up the ranks as a manager in St. Petersburg. In the last years of her life Kelly Jo became an advocate for early detection, education and fundraising in the battle against breast cancer within the Hooters organization.

At the beginning of the year, Hooters Girls pulled together to raise money in the name of Kelly Jo by selling pink Hooters Girl uniform card cutouts and hosting fundraising events to raise money for the cause. As part of the fundraising effort an awareness DVD, featuring a testimonial from Kelly Jo, is sent to every Hooters location to educate the 15,000 currently employed Hooters Girls to help prevent the 1 in 8 who will statistically be affected by breast cancer. To date, Hooters has donated over $750,000 toward the grant.

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