Friday, September 25, 2009

Making a Difference

From the Prostate Cancer Foundation website


Arizona Residents Greg and Lauren Glassman Recognized for their Support in Fighting Cancer

Funding from CrossFit, Inc. Event to Support Innovative Research by Leading Scientists

SANTA MONICA, CA/September 22, 2009—Greg and Lauren Glassman, founders of CrossFit, Inc., are providing crucial funding for the battle against prostate cancer. In acknowledgement of CrossFit’s annual Fight Gone Bad event that has raised more than $1 million since 2006, the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) has announced it will name one of its Creativity Awards the Greg and Lauren Glassman Grant for Early Detection Biomarker Research.

Designed as a funding mechanism for supporting transformational prostate cancer research, the PCF’s Creativity Awards bridge the gap between an idea and the results necessary to justify longer-term and more significant funding.

"Greg and Lauren have been truly instrumental in helping raise awareness and funding for prostate cancer research," said Scott Zagarino, managing director of Athletes for a Cure (AFAC), a fundraising initiative of the PCF. "Without their support, Athletes for a Cure wouldn’t have been able to reach such a wide audience to fight against this potentially deadly disease."

Founded in 2000 by Greg and Lauren Glassman, CrossFit, Inc., began its mission to forge elite fitness in a small, garage-like gym in Santa Cruz, California. That small space brought together local athletes and members of the community for innovative workout routines, and has since grown to more than 1,300 CrossFit-affiliated gyms in the country. This year more than 450 CrossFit affiliates in the U.S. have already helped raise more than $700,000 for AFAC’s annual Fight Gone Bad event that will take place this weekend. Fight Gone Bad has become AFAC’s biggest annual event.

"The entire team at CrossFit has been behind Athletes for a Cure since day one," added Zagarino. "If the solution to prostate cancer is a team effort, then we could ask for no more commitment from everyone at CrossFit."

This year it is projected that more than 27,000 U.S. men will die from prostate cancer while more than 192,000 new cases will be diagnosed. With the aging baby-boomer generation, the number of new cases diagnosed annually could reach 300,000 by 2015— an increase of more than 60 percent—with an accompanying annual death rate of approximately 45,000. Early detection and treatment can result in a five-year survival rate of more than 95 percent.

About Athletes for a Cure
Athletes for a Cure is a fundraising and awareness program that assists individual athletes in their quest to raise money for better treatments and a cure for prostate cancer. Every dollar raised from the program goes directly to the Prostate Cancer Foundation. The online program provides athletes with multiple tools to create a home in the athletic and fundraising community. Registered participants can upload photos, personal stories and race information on their own page; set donation goals; and watch as their donations climb. For more information, visit www.athletesforacure.org.

About the Prostate Cancer Foundation
The Prostate Cancer Foundation is the world’s largest philanthropic source of support for prostate cancer research focused on discovering better treatments and a cure for prostate cancer. Founded in 1993, the PCF has raised more than $370 million and provided funding to more than 1,500 research projects at nearly 200 institutions worldwide. The PCF also advocates for greater awareness of prostate cancer and more governmental research funds. PCF advocacy has helped produce a 20-fold increase in government funding for prostate cancer since 1994. More information about prostate cancer and the PCF can be found at www.pcf.org.

Contacts

For Athletes for a Cure
Scott Zagarino
Managing Director
scott@athletesforacure.org

For the Prostate Cancer Foundation:
Donovin Matthews
310-570-4700

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