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- Posted Sunday September 11, 2011
Phoenix golf tournament targets end to pancreatic cancer through TGen's globalCure
9th annual Seena Magowitz Celebrity Golf Classic planned Dec. 3
at landmark Arizona Biltmore resort
PHOENIX, Ariz. - Sept. 30, 2011 - Seena Magowitz would be proud.
Nearly a decade after she passed away from pancreatic cancer, the
foundation established in her memory is poised to fund scientific
breakthroughs that may lead to a cure.
The 9th annual Seena Magowitz Celebrity Golf Classic will be held
Dec. 3, 2011, for the first time at the landmark Arizona Biltmore,
a premier Phoenix resort favored by celebrities and U.S. presidents
since it was built in 1929.
As many as 288 golfers will help support research at the
Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), whose new
globalCure initiative includes more than 40 institutes worldwide
dedicated to finding a cure for pancreatic cancer, the nation's
fourth leading cause of cancer death.
"My mother would be proud and happy, especially for the more than
37,000 Americans with pancreatic cancer who could be saved - each
year - once we find a cure for this devastating disease," said
Roger Magowitz, Founder and Chairman of the Seena Magowitz
Foundation.
The Seena Magowitz Foundation has raised more than $3 million for
TGen research, most of that in the past year specifically tied to
globalCure.
Through 2009, the Magowitz Foundation had raised nearly $750,000
for TGen's pancreatic cancer research. The 2010 tournament raised
an additional $500,000, but also featured announcements from Roger
Magowitz and from pancreatic cancer survivor Howard Young that they
each were donating $1 million towards globalCure.
Funds raised through globalCure enable scientists and clinicians
to: identify cancer biomarkers as drug targets; identify and
improve new compounds that affect the activity of those targets;
and take the most promising new agents to clinical trials where
they can immediately benefit patients.
Also featured at last year's tournament was the support of
Mattress Firm, one of many mattress industry leaders - including
Serta, Sealy, Simmons, Tempur-Pedic, Protect-A-Bed, Leggett &
Platt, International Bedding, Anatomic Global, Sherwood Bedding,
Glideaway and ISSAC Corp - that have adopted pancreatic cancer
research as a major cause. Many industry executives have lost
colleagues or family members to the disease.
In April, Mattress Firm announced that it named TGen its
"charitable partner of choice," specifically funding globalCure.
And in July, Mattress Firm announced fundraising efforts for
globalCure's pancreatic cancer clinical trials.
Steve Stagner, Mattress Firm's President and CEO, said he believes
the company's support of TGen provides his companies' employees
opportunities to change lives and raise awareness of pancreatic
cancer with every customer interaction.
GlobalCure national advisory committee member Jai Pausch has
praised Stagner and the Houston-based mattress retailer. Pausch
became a national advocate for pancreatic cancer following the
death of her husband, Randy, a Carnegie Mellon professor and author
of the bestselling book, The Last Lecture.
Last year, Mattress Firm donated dozens of Tigger dolls, one of
Randy Pausch's favorite Winnie the Pooh characters. The Tiggers
were given to the Arizona Association for Foster and Adoptive
Parents as part of its annual Christmas toy drive, providing gifts
for some of the more than 10,000 children in Arizona's foster care
system.
This year's keynote speaker at the Celebrity Golf Classic is Dr.
Daniel Von Hoff, TGen's Physician-In-Chief and one of the world's
foremost authorities on pancreatic cancer.
For more information about the Seena Magowitz Foundation, make a
reservation for the Golf Classic, contribute a donation or request
a sponsorship, please visit: www.seenamagowitzfoundation.org, or
contact Roger Magowitz at 602-524-7636 or
[email protected], or contact Liz McBeth at
[email protected].
# # #
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.
