dressbarn Offers Signature "Hope Bracelet" in Support of Relay For Life Partnership With American Cancer Society

(3BL Media) Suffern, NY - April 30, 2012 - dressbarn, the women's specialty apparel retailer, announces its ninth year as an American Cancer Society Relay For Life(R) National Team. As part of the company's commitment to help raise awareness and funds for the American Cancer Society's (ACS) ongoing research initiatives, outreach and support programs, dressbarn stores nationwide will feature the 2012 version of their signature Hope Bracelet. Sales of the bracelet support ACS's mission to help researchers and health care professionals save more lives and individuals celebrate more birthdays.

Beginning May 1, all dressbarn stores will sell their exclusive 2012 Hope Bracelet for $10.00, while supplies last. dressbarn will contribute the entire net sales of $5.00 to the American Cancer Society. Added to this contribution will be the dollars raised through dressbarn's associate and community involvement in Relay For Life events -- the largest global cancer-fighting fundraising movement. Throughout the spring and summer, Relay For Life teams nationwide will become part of a community of more than 3.5 million people throughout the United States and in 20 other countries who participate in Relay For Life events each year.

In 2011, more than 300 dressbarn and sister-company maurices teams, comprised of customers, executives and associates, participated in Relay For Life events in their communities and raised in excess of $1 million through team fundraising, in-store promotions and the dressbarn Foundation donation. To date, dressbarn and maurices have given more than $8.5 million dollars to the American Cancer Society to support local and national cancer initiatives.

The ACS projects that there will be 1.6 million new cancer cases in 2012 that will claim more than 577,000 lives. The good news, though, is that the organization also reports that overall death rates from cancer have decreased -- and more than one million deaths were avoided, according to the latest statistics. dressbarn stores are proud to participate in fundraising efforts that support the research and outreach efforts behind these statistics and invite individuals nationwide to join the fight by joining their local dressbarn team or coming in to purchase a Hope Bracelet to support the Relay For Life movement.

"It is a privilege to celebrate our ninth year of helping to support the goals of the American Cancer Society," said Jeff Gerstel, President of dressbarn. "Each year we strive to surpass the fundraising success of the previous year in both community member support and money raised through the sales of our Hope Bracelet and other activities. We look forward to a partnership with the Society that continues to prosper and grow for many years to come."

For more information on dressbarn or its collaboration with the American Cancer Society, please visit www.dressbarn.com.