great post ! i love it
Posted by on 02/20 at 11:16 AM
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ThinkCure!
It takes a team to win the fight against cancer, and City of Hope now has some powerful teammates on its side.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, the McCourt family, City of Hope and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles recently launched ThinkCure, a nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to raising funds for critical cancer research at the two hospitals — and ultimately to finding a cure for cancer.
photo: JOHN SOO HOO PHOTOSDodgers infielder Nomar Garciaparra (center) with physicians and patients from City of Hope and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.
ThinkCure is the official charity of the Los Angeles Dodgers. “With ThinkCure, we are creating a civic entity dedicated to raising the funds necessary to find a cure for cancer,” said Frank McCourt, owner and chair of the Dodgers. “Ideally, like the Dodgers, ThinkCure will become the property and concern not of its founding sponsors alone, but rather, the entire Los Angeles community. ThinkCure will help provide the financial resources necessary for City of Hope and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles to develop the treatments — and cures — of tomorrow.”
photo: PAULA MYERS(From left) Michael A. Friedman, Jamie and Frank McCourt, Stephen J. Forman and Travis McCourt
Stephen J. Forman, M.D., the Francis and Kathleen McNamara Distinguished Chair in Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, said that cancer research is increasingly leading to better and safer treatments for adults and children, which provides hope for a cure. “We are so pleased to be working with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles to establish ThinkCure as partners in this quest,” he said.
ThinkCure is following in the footsteps of a similar partnership between a beloved sports franchise and those dedicated to finding a cure for cancer. The Jimmy Fund, launched in 1948 by the Boston Braves (later the official charity of the Boston Red Sox) and the Variety Club of New England, in conjunction with Sidney Farber, M.D. (founder of the first hospital unit devoted exclusively to caring for children with cancer), is one of the most enduring and successful charities of its kind. The McCourt family has been associated with The Jimmy Fund since its inception when Frank McCourt’s grandfather Francis McCourt was co-owner of the Boston Braves.
photo: JOHN SOO HOO PHOTOSCity of Hope cancer patient Jeff Maurer (center) prepares to throw out the game’s ceremonial first pitch with Childrens Hospital Los Angeles patients Emily (left) and Amy Dilbeck.
“We are on the brink of turning cancer into a chronic disease,” said Mike Andrews, chair of The Jimmy Fund. “With the Dana Farber Cancer Research Institute here in Boston and City of Hope and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles on the West Coast and what other centers are doing around the world, we are getting closer by the minute and ThinkCure will have a huge impact on that success.”
In coordination with the launch on July 31, the “Think Blue” sign at Dodger Stadium was changed to read ThinkCure.
During pregame festivities, Southern California firefighter Jeff Maurer, a former cancer patient at City of Hope, 14-year-old Emily Buelow of Calabasas, Calif., a former cancer patient of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, and Amy Dilbeck, a former cancer patient and now intern at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, threw pitches to Forman and Stuart Siegel, M.D. — the doctors who helped them win their battles against cancer — and Travis McCourt, who represented the McCourt family.
photo: JOHN SOO HOO PHOTOSDodgers All-Star Russell Martin autographs the hat of a pediatric cancer patient.
Volunteers from both hospitals attended games during the home stand to help raise funds. Jamie and Frank McCourt announced they will match donations up to $1 million to launch the fund. As part of the celebration of their 50th anniversary in Los Angeles, the Dodgers will return to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for an exhibition contest against the Boston Red Sox on March 29, 2008, in a game that will benefit ThinkCure. Additional events will be held throughout the year and a complete schedule of events will soon be announced.
In addition, Major League Baseball pledged $100,000 as an initial contribution to ThinkCure, and KCAL 9, the Dodgers’ Los Angeles broadcast television partner, announced that it has committed an unprecedented amount of airtime and other key resources to the effort. University of Southern California (USC) Athletics also has partnered with the organization, providing radio airtime, Web space and displays for ThinkCure during USC Trojans games.
photo: PAULA MYERSA ThinkCure sign lights up the night sky at Dodger Stadium.
For information about the organization,visit www.thinkcure.org.
Comment on this article
Nice post! So glad to know more and more organizations and institute are committed to helping cancer patients.
Posted by on 02/17 at 07:21 PM
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I think this is a wonderful thing to get professional teams involved with
Posted by on 07/08 at 03:06 PM
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