"I am very proud of the success of the Ticket for the Cure lottery ticket and the funds raised through the program have gone to valuable research promoting education and training," Hunter said. "I want to thank Governor Quinn for his support of the program and signing this important measure today. Carolyn Adams was a dutiful and diligent public servant who bravely fought breast cancer and I am so pleased to see her memory being honored through this successful fundraising opportunity."

The legislation creating the Ticket for the Cure was originally signed into law in October of 2006. This was a project initiated by then-Senate President Emil Jones, Jr. and Senator Hunter. The ticket marks a first time in US Lottery history where 100 percent of proceeds supported programs and research initiatives that would help diagnose and treat breast cancer. Net revenue from the sale of Ticket for the Cure is awarded to not-for-profit institutions and organizations to fund breast cancer research, education and supportive services, including childcare services, for breast cancer patients and their families in Illinois. Last year, Hunter sponsored legislation changing the name to Carolyn Adams Ticket for the Cure Fund. Carolyn Adams was the Illinois Lottery Superintendent from May 2003 until she died of breast cancer in March 2007 at the age of 44.

"Since 2005, Ticket for the Cure has raised over $9 million which has been awarded to organizations as grants to fund breast cancer research, education and services for breast cancer patients and their families," Hunter continued. "In the 2009 Fiscal Year, the fund was able to distribute over one million dollars in grants, and as of February of this year, the fund again had over a million dollars to distribute. Promoting this great cause has been an honor, and its success has been very rewarding."