Houston-based bedding retailer to raise awareness and funding
for TGen's globalCure clinical trials
PHOENIX, Ariz.- July 29, 2011 - Mattress Firm, a leading specialty
mattress retailer with more than 720 stores nationwide, is
committed to supporting the fight against pancreatic cancer by
raising funds for clinical trials through the Translational
Genomics Research Institute (TGen) globalCure initiative.
GlobalCure is a TGen-led alliance of the world's foremost
scientists, physicians and advocates in the fight to find a cure
for pancreatic cancer, the nation's fourth leading cause of cancer
death.
Mattress Firm is following in the footsteps of Scottsdale resident
Roger Magowitz, who for nearly a decade has championed research
into finding a cure for pancreatic cancer, the disease that took
the life of his mother, Seena, in 2001.
Magowitz, a longtime member of the bedding industry, has enlisted
the Houston-based company's Mattress Firm Foundation to join the
fight against pancreatic cancer by supporting globalCure.
"Roger Magowitz was quick to impress upon us all the importance of
funding research and raising awareness for this deadly disease,"
said Mattress Firm President and CEO Steve Stagner. "His transfer
of enthusiasm to us really hit home with our executive team, and
ultimately with the rest of our company."
As a result, Mattress Firm Foundation has named TGen as its
"charitable partner," specifically funding the research and
clinical trials conducted by globalCure.
"It is a most generous tribute to my late mother that the Mattress
Firm Foundation has elected to join the fight against pancreatic
cancer, specifically through funding globalCure," said Roger
Magowitz, President of the Seena Magowitz Foundation. "Pancreatic
cancer is a disease that we believe can eventually be cured - and
soon."
Through a promotional partnership with Simmons Bedding Co. earlier
this year and corporate support of the cause Mattress Firm
Foundation has already raised more than $400,000 to directly
support the clinical trials and research of globalCure. The company
hopes to raise even more by the end of 2011.
The company's foundation is dedicated to raising funds via a
variety of avenues, including the recent introduction of their
employee donation program. To reach the broadest audience
possible, Mattress Firm Foundation has launched online donation
options on the company's website, www.mattressfirm.com/charity, and
on a new fundraising platform through Crowdrise, a unique blend of
online fundraising, crowdsourcing, social networking and
contests.
Funding as many clinical trials as possible is the focus of
Mattress Firm Foundation's efforts. "As we build more
awareness, and develop more fundraising opportunities, we will
start funding even more clinical trials every year," said Sunni
Goodman, Mattress Firm's Communications Manager.
Raising awareness of pancreatic cancer and the great need for
research and clinical trials is a key component of the Foundation's
efforts. In June, the company launched the foundation
nationwide, displaying literature in each of their more than 700
stores to provide information and make local communities aware of
the need. The company also has plans to boost initial fundraising
with in-store donation options this fall.
"We have one clear focus. We know that our fundraising efforts will
go directly to those clinical trials so that we can, hopefully,
find a cure for this cancer in our lifetime," Stagner said.
Mattress Firm employees, their families, friends and customers are
discovering that they know patients with pancreatic cancer, which
annually takes the lives of more than 35,000 Americans. The father
of one employee, for example, recently went to the doctor for a
back cramp, only to discover cancer in his pancreas, spine and
elsewhere.
Funding generated through globalCure enables the TGen and TGen Drug
Development-led Pancreatic Cancer Research Team (PCRT) to generate
independent, scientifically driven clinical trials in an effort to
accelerate the pace of discovery and find a cure for this cancer as
soon as possible. PCRT is a worldwide consortium of 45 clinical
institutions dedicated to pancreatic cancer research.
"Mattress Firm's philanthropic leadership has provided a critically
important boost to this unprecedented alliance of the world's top
pancreatic cancer researchers," said TGen Foundation President
Michael Bassoff. "With the support of the Mattress Firm Foundation,
globalCure is bringing new hope to families battling pancreatic
cancer around the world."
Stagner said he hopes that Mattress Firm Foundation's support will
multiply through globalCure and do for pancreatic cancer research
and scientific discovery what the Susan G. Komen foundation has
done for the fight against breast cancer.
# # #
About Mattress Firm
Houston-based Mattress Firm (www.mattressfirm.com) is one of the
nation's premier specialty bedding retailers, offering a broad
selection of both traditional and specialty mattresses from leading
manufacturers, including Tempur-Pedic, Sealy, Simmons, and Stearns
& Foster. Founded in 1986, Mattress Firm's purpose is to
improve lives one night at a time. With more than 700 stores across
24 states, Mattress Firm offers consumers the benefit of highly
trained, knowledgeable sales professionals, a broad product
offering, and competitive prices in an attractive and comfortable
store environment. Mattress Firm is majority owned by J.W. Childs
Associates, L.P. ("JWC"), a private equity firm based in Boston, MA
investing in middle-market consumer products and specialty retail
growth companies. Since 1995, JWC has invested in more than
40 companies with a total transaction value of over $12 billion.
For more information, visit: www.mattressfirm.com/charity.
About globalCure
GlobalCure is an exciting new initiative that embraces a
comprehensive array of cross-disciplinary groups in a coordinated
effort to help pancreatic cancer patients in the near-term and
ultimately put an end to this devastating disease. For more
information, visit: www.gcure.org.
About the Seena Magowitz Foundation
The Seena Magowitz Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit
organization committed to advancing the awareness and eventual
prevention and cure of pancreatic cancer. The Foundation is
dedicated to funding top medical institutions on the leading edge
of translational pancreatic cancer research committed to diagnosis,
the advancement of life-extending treatment options and the
ultimate goal of eradicating this deadly killer. For more
information, visit: www.seenamagowitzfoundation.org.