Donations from Seena Magowitz Celebrity Golf Classic now top
$750,000
PHOENIX, Ariz. - April 2, 2010 - Arizona businessman Roger Magowitz
today presented $400,000 for pancreatic cancer research to the
Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen).
Proceeds from December's 7th annual Seena Magowitz Celebrity Golf
Classic bring to $750,000 the total amount Roger Magowitz has
contributed to TGen in memory of his mother, who died of pancreatic
cancer in 2001.
"We know that this disease is under-funded. We know that the
disease needs more awareness," Magowitz told about 70 TGen research
scientists. "What we're after, ultimately, is a cure.
Unfortunately, it boils down to dollars."
Magowitz explained that because pancreatic cancer is such a fast
moving disease - annually killing more than 42,000 Americans, and
most of them within months of diagnosis - there are few
survivor-advocates. And because the families of those who die are
so consumed with grief, they often don't even want to hear the
words pancreatic cancer, Magowitz said. "They're just completely
blown away; they're devastated."
Because of those factors, Magowitz said he was happy to introduce
Jai Pausch, the widow of Randy Pausch, the late Carnegie Mellon
computer-science professor who died of pancreatic cancer in 2008.
His now famous The Last Lecture, about the importance of achieving
childhood dreams, has been featured on PBS, and more than 11
million viewers have seen it on YouTube.
Jai Pausch, the honorary chair of last year's Magowitz Golf
Classic, said she is in awe of TGen's scientists, of their
dedication and of their innovative approaches. "The one thing I get
out of coming to TGen is a sense of hope, that the researchers are
confident. There is a sense that we're headed in the right
direction, we're on the right path, and this is only going to get
better."
Dr. Daniel Von Hoff, TGen's Physician-In-Chief and a world-renowned
expert on pancreatic cancer, thanked Magowitz for his donation and
praised his dedication to fighting the disease. "I knew when I
first met Roger that he was someone special and that pancreatic
cancer had an enemy. He wants to take revenge against this
disease.''
Dr. Von Hoff also thanked Jai Pausch for her involvement in
bringing attention to pancreatic cancer. "Cancer is tough, but the
people like Jai Pausch are tougher. Determination is what's going
to make a big difference in this disease."
Michael Bassoff, President of the TGen Foundation, thanked Magowitz
for his generosity, describing him as "one of the most passionate,
dedicated volunteers ever to come forward to TGen. Roger has done
extraordinary things, not only raising funds for our programs, but
rallying the entire home furnishings industry behind TGen."
Along with his business associate, Ray Bojanowski, Magowitz has
involved many of the nation's leading home furnishings companies in
fundraising activities to support pancreatic cancer research. The
8th annual Seena Magowitz Celebrity Golf Classic will be held Dec.
4, 2010, at the Talking Stick Golf Club near Scottsdale.
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About TGen
The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a Phoenix,
Arizona-based non-profit organization dedicated to conducting
groundbreaking research with life changing results. Research at
TGen is focused on helping patients with diseases such as cancer,
neurological disorders and diabetes. TGen is on the cutting edge of
translational research where investigators are able to unravel the
genetic components of common and complex diseases. Working with
collaborators in the scientific and medical communities, TGen
believes it can make a substantial contribution to the efficiency
and effectiveness of the translational process. TGen is affiliated
with the Van Andel Research Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
For more information, visit: www.tgen.org.
Press Contact:
Steve Yozwiak
TGen Senior Science Writer
602-343-8704
[email protected]
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