Burlington Coat Factory has pledged to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light The Night Walk in 2003, and will strive to exceed the total funds raised last year by the company, its employees and customers -- more than $215,000.

"Burlington Coat Factory is proud to support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light The Night Walk for a second year in a row," says Chris Pilla, company spokesperson. "We've set our sights on surpassing the amount of money we raised last year to help find cures for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. We couldn't do it without our customers, and we deeply appreciate their ongoing support and encouragement."

To surpass last year's total, Burlington Coat Factory expanded its sales of Light The Night paper balloons to stores nationwide. The company also organized a national, company-wide team of employees who will walk in communities across the U.S. Last year, the company's paper balloon sales raised more than $175,000 and walking teams raised $40,000.

"Burlington Coat Factory is a model of achievement," says Dwayne Howell, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. "The commitment of its leadership, matched by the caring and compassion of its employees, supports the Society in its mission to find cures for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma and improve the quality of life of patients and their families."

The Light The Night Walk is The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's annual fall event held in communities throughout the U.S. to raise money for blood cancer research and patient services. Teams of co-workers, families and friends walk together in twilight, holding illuminated balloons - white for survivors and red for supporters. The walk commemorates lives touched by blood cancer.

In December 2002, The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society presented the President, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Burlington Coat Factory with its National Walk Award, in recognition of the company's charitable contribution to the Society. That October, the Society honored the company with its de Villiers Award, named after the Society's founder, Robert Roesler de Villiers. In August 2001, Burlington Coat Factory made Society history by becoming the first paper balloon retail sponsor for the Light The Night Walk.

About Leukemia, Lymphoma and Myeloma

Leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma are cancers that originate in the bone marrow or lymphatic tissues as the result of an acquired genetic injury to the DNA of a single cell, which in turn becomes malignant and multiples continuously. This abnormal accumulation of malignant cells interferes with the production of healthy blood cells.

Leukemia is the leading cause of disease-related death in children under the age of 15. The most common form of leukemia in children is acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). Treatment advances have increased survival for ALL from 4 percent in 1960 to 85 percent in 1999. Although often thought of as exclusively affecting children, leukemia is actually far more common in older adults - half of leukemia cases occur after the age of 64.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is the fifth most common cancer in the United States, and its age-adjusted incidence increased 71 percent from 1975 to 2000. Hodgkin lymphoma has a high incidence among adolescents and young adults. As a result of advances discovered through research, however, Hodgkin lymphoma now has five-year relative survival rates of more than 84.

Eighty percent of myeloma cases occur in people over age 60. Americans of African descent have a much higher incidence compared to those of European descent. Incidence rates in men are 50 percent higher than in women. While survival has increased five-fold between 1950 and 1999, the rate of survival is still only 30.9 percent today, making myeloma the most difficult blood cancer to treat successfully.

About Burlington Coat Factory

Burlington Coat Factory is a national retailer offering apparel and accessories for the entire family, baby products and furniture, and home décor items. The company, founded and incorporated in 1972, owns and operates over 330 stores, including subsidiaries, nationwide. The company has been publicly traded since 1983, and is presently traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "BCF." Burlington Coat Factory can be found online at www.coat.com.

About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society®, headquartered in White Plains, NY, is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services. The Society's mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Since its founding in 1949, the Society has provided more than $358 million for research specifically targeting blood cancers.

For more information, visit www.LLS.org or call The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Information Resource Center (IRC), a call center staffed by master's level social workers, nurses and health educators who provide information, support and resources to patients and their families and caregivers. IRC specialists are available at 800-955-4572, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST.