WATERBURY, Conn. (June 3, 2008) – Olympic figure skating champion Dorothy Hamill will lend her support in the fight against breast cancer as the honorary chairperson of the “Women Fore Women” golf tournament, sponsored by the Saint Mary’s Hospital Foundation.

The tournament, which will be held on Monday, June 16 at The Golf Club at Oxford Greens, is aiming to raise money to provide free screening mammograms for hundreds of women from Greater Waterbury who are without health insurance and would otherwise be unable to afford this potentially life-saving screening.

“We are so pleased that so many women are joining together to support this initiative, and we are thrilled to have Dorothy Hamill as our honorary chairwoman,” said Mary Wiatr and Chris Geraghty, co-chairs of the event. “Her courage and spirit are certain to inspire the women in our community who have breast cancer, and those who are supporting a relative or friend with breast cancer.”

Ms. Hamill announced earlier this year that she was being treated for breast cancer. Her brother, Dr. Chalmers “Sandy” Hamill, is director of the Hospitalist Program at Saint Mary’s Hospital.

Ms. Hamill captured the Gold Medal at the 1976 Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria at the age of 19. Overnight, she became one of those rare champions who transcended her sport and captured the country’s imagination. Still, she has said she is most proud of her World Championship title in Gothenburg, Sweden, which followed her Olympic win. At that time, everyone had advised her to retire from amateur competition, saying that even a second place finish would tarnish the luster of her Olympic gold. Characteristically, once she set her mind to it, she would not be dissuaded, and won.

Ms. Hamill was inducted into the Olympic Hall of Fame and the Figure Skating Hall of Fame. She was very proud to run the torch into the Olympic Stadium in Salt Lake City and skate the closing ceremonies with vocalist Harry Connick Jr.

She is involved with many charity organizations, including the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, the International Special Olympics, Big Brothers & Sisters of America, the American Cancer Society, Ronald McDonald House, March of Dimes, and a variety of AIDS foundations.

She continues to tour with Champions on Ice and Broadway on Ice throughout the country and late last year released her memoir, “A Skating Life: My Story,” which made the New York Times Best Seller List.

For the women’s golf tournament, Ms. Hamill will greet players as they begin the afternoon flight. A limited number of foursomes are available for the morning flight, which tees off at 7:30 a.m. The cost to participate is $150 per golfer, which will provide two women in the Greater Waterbury community with free screening mammograms.

The fee includes lunch at noon and a cocktail reception with Ms. Hamill that will conclude the tournament along with an awards presentation.

To register for the tournament, or for information about sponsorship opportunities, please call the Saint Mary’s Hospital Foundation at (203) 709-3761 or visit www.stmh.org/golf.