Newswise — The Cancer Research Institute (CRI) and the National Prostate Cancer Coalition (NPCC) are pleased to announce that The Drive Against Prostate Cancer has extended its tour of New York City to include the evening of June 26, 2007, as part of the Cancer Research Institute's annual awards dinner. From 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., The Drive's hallmark 39-foot mobile medical vehicle will be parked outside The Rainbow Room's 49th Street entrance at Rockefeller Plaza, and will be open to the public for touring.
The Cancer Research Institute is a proud sponsor of The Drive and will honor at its dinner Wade F.B. Thompson, chairman, CEO, and co-founder of Thor Industries, Inc., the world's largest manufacturer of recreational vehicles, whose company donated two mobile screening units to The Drive. At the dinner, Mr. Thompson will be recognized for his generous support of the Institute's efforts to develop immune-based therapies for cancer, and for his leadership in making Thor Industries an exemplary corporate citizen in the fight against cancer.
Jill O'Donnell-Tormey, executive director of the Cancer Research Institute and a member of the NPCC Board of Directors, hailed The Drive's appearance at her organization's event. "The Drive Against Prostate Cancer has offered free prostate cancer screenings to more than 56,000 men since the program was launched in 2002. As a result, many lives have been saved thanks to early detection the screenings provide."
NPCC and The Drive Against Prostate Cancer kicked off a week of screening during a Father's Day press conference this past Sunday with New York Senator Chuck Schumer, a proponent of regular cancer screenings and health care access for low income citizens.
"New York has the second highest incidence rate of prostate cancer, and nearly 16,000 men throughout the state will be diagnosed with the disease this year alone," said NPCC CEO Richard N. Atkins, MD. "We are pleased to partner with CRI to bring the Drive Against Prostate Cancer vehicle to their annual awards dinner. By allowing the public to tour the vehicle at this exclusive event, we will educate more men about the importance of yearly screening."
The Cancer Research Institute's 21st Annual Awards Dinner, hosted by CNN Anchor and Special Correspondent Soledad O'Brien, will honor philanthropic and corporate leaders and scientists who have made significant contributions to the fight against cancer. In addition to Wade Thompson, the night's honorees also include AstraZeneca CEO David R. Brennan and Jeffrey V. Ravetch, M.D., Ph.D., a professor at The Rockefeller University.
About the Cancer Research InstituteThe Cancer Research Institute (CRI) is the world's only non-profit, private organization dedicated exclusively to the support and coordination of scientific and clinical efforts that will lead to the immunological treatment, control, and prevention of cancer. Guided by a world-renowned Scientific Advisory Council that includes five Nobel Prize winners and twenty-eight members of the National Academy of Sciences, CRI supports cutting-edge cancer research at top medical centers and universities throughout the world. As the initiator and steward of unprecedented global laboratory and clinical programs like the Cancer Vaccine Collaborative, a partnership with the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, and the Coordinated Cancer Initiatives, the Cancer Research Institute is ushering in a new era of scientific progress, hastening the discovery of effective cancer vaccines and other immune-based therapies that are providing new hope to cancer patients. http://www.cancerresearch.org
About the National Prostate Cancer CoalitionThe National Prostate Cancer Coalition (http://www.fightprostatecancer.org) sets the standard for rapidly reducing the burden of prostate cancer on American men and their families through awareness, outreach, and advocacy.
Multimedia: Photograph of the mobile prostate cancer screening vehicle available upon request.
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