The Griffith Family Foundation and board would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a healthy and Happy New Year!
Most importantly, we would like to thank everyone who has continued to support our efforts. From 2010 through 2015, our Griffith Family Foundation has awarded more than $200,000 for the research efforts of Dr. A. James Moser of BIDMC/Harvard Medical School. It has been through your generous donations that we have been funding novel clinical trials for patients suffering from pancreatic cancer.
In 2014, the BIDMC Cancer Center became the lead site for project survival, a collaboration between BIDMC, The Pancreatic Cancer Research team, Cancer Research and Biostatistics, and Berg Biosystems (a Framingham-based pharmaceutical and biotechnology company). Your fundraising dollars are going towards even more discoveries, validating a clinical biomarker, and supporting the Organoid Program which matches patient’s tumors with treatments.
Also, I am proud to report that one of Dr. Moser’s fellows, Dr. Alessandra Storino, won Poster of Distinction at The Digestive Disease Week for her research related to an issue that plagued Greg, which was the bile duct and endoscopic stents.
And, we were pleased to announce that Jack Andraka will be our Sideline Cancer Ambassador! Jack has been involved with Sideline Cancer for many years as a student advocate.
The following is a report of GFF 2015 highlights and activities
6th Annual Griff’s Sideline Pancreatic Cancer Dinner and Basketball Tourney
Special guests included: Dr. A. James Moser, video addresses by Dr. Anirban Maitra & Jack Andraka, Erin Willett-singer/songwriter, Kim Henshey, Pancreatic Cancer Survivor, Joel Redfoot-Sideline Cancer representative at the NCAA semifinals of the final four basketball tournament.
We want to thank Dr. Moser for attending our dinner every year, and we appreciate his time and dedication to the cause. This year, the event surpassed last year’s net profit, and we are proud to report a net profit of $35,826.13!
~ MARK YOUR CALENDAR ~
Our 7th annual dinner will be held Friday, July 29th, 2016!
The 7th annual Griff’s Sideline Cancer 3-on-3
Basketball tournament July 30th, 2016!
Tee Off For A Cure to Sideline Pancreatic Cancer
This year our golf tournament was held as a separate event at the Scotch Valley Country Club. This decision was a huge success and we doubled from last year with a net profit this year of over $13,000!
~ MARK YOUR CALENDAR ~
Our 2016 event will be on Monday, August 8th
with 8AM and 1:30PM shot gun starts!
Fund A Cure to Sideline Pancreatic Cancer Night At The Altoona Curve Stadium
Sports fans came out in full force for the 4th annual “Fund A Cure for Pancreatic Cancer” at The Curve in August. The final net profit was $3000!
~ MARK YOUR CALENDAR ~
We will be hosting our 5th annual night at The Curve on Saturday, August 27th, 2016.
Sideline Cancer® Campaigns
This continues to be our signature campaign throughout the entire year and is growing exponentially! Our GFF trademarked Sideline Cancer® Campaign is a youth-driven pancreatic cancer initiative that inspires students to change the outcome of pancreatic cancer.
NCI statistics state that by 2020 pancreatic cancer will be the second leading cause of cancer death under Lung Cancer. We are hoping that we will empower our youth to change those statistics. So events to raise awareness and support were held at various high schools and colleges.
From 2012 to 2015, our Sideline Cancer Campaign has produced a net profit of well over $30,000. We are proud to announce that St. Francis University has created the first Sideline Cancer Club and plans to host numerous events throughout the school year.
In addition, Jack Andraka, our Sideline Cancer Ambassador, hopes to bring our Sideline Pancreatic Cancer Campaign to Stanford in the near future. Jack and all these amazing students are changing our world and inspiring us all to “Believe Always!”
This video shows the many things the Griffith Family Foundation is involved in. These events and activities help us to create awareness and fund a cure for Pancreatic Cancer.
~ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT ~
Official Sideline Cancer® T-shirts can be purchased at Score Sports Consignment in Hollidaysburg.
Click here for business location and hours.
World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition
WPCC has groundbreaking news: The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and the Kenner Foundation, hosted an inaugural event in New York City. With 27 pancreatic cancer foundations from the US and Canada, including The Griffith Family Foundation and The Alliance of Families Fighting Pancreatic Cancer, they formed The North American Pancreatic Cancer Organization and created World Pancreatic Cancer Day. This group will reconvene, in Orlando Florida, in May 2016, as The World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition in conjunction with The American Association of Cancer Researchers special conference devoted to pancreatic cancer research.
In picture from left to right: Cathy Griffith, Barbara Kenner (President and Founder of the Kenner Family Foundation), and Julie Fleshman (President and CEO of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network)
World Pancreatic Cancer Day
Dr. Moser, BIDMC/Harvard medical School, and his outstanding research fellows, hosted Nancy Fulchiero and Cathy on World Pancreatic Cancer Day! Nancy and Cathy got to see how your fundraising dollars are being used to Sideline Pancreatic Cancer! We want to thank BIDMC and Dr. Moser for the wonderful tour and visit!
National Affiliations
Cathy is a board member of the Digestive Disease National Coalition, Research Advocate with the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and The American Associations of Cancer Researchers. Also, Cathy attended symposiums hosted by the National Institute of Health and National Pancreas Foundation.
Local Initiatives
- Sideline Cancer Speaking engagements and hosting Sideline Cancer Student Internship
- Blair Chamber and Hollidaysburg Community Partnership member
- Participation in the Bob Perks Cancer Assistance Fund on the Blair County Advisory Group
End of Year Changes
We are proud to announce that we have merged the Griffith Family Foundation and Sideline Cancer websites into one! This will allow all our website visitors to obtain information about both while highlighting Sideline Cancer as our signature trademark for the Griffith Foundation. We also combined our logo so that it is most recognizable.
Donations Still Needed
No doubt, you already know what’s at stake, and we are incredibly grateful
for everything our community have done so far.
But as you close out 2015, we humbly ask for your continued support.
Please consider a year-end tax-deductible donation.
You can mail a check payable to the GFF to
Griffith Family Foundation
P. O. Box 28
Hollidaysburg, PA 16648
OR
TOGETHER WE CAN SIDELINE PANCREATIC CANCER!
And Finally, A Special Thank You to Our Board of Directors
Cathy Griffith, President
John McIntyre, Vice President
Bruce Erb, Treasurer
Cindy Kanski, Secretary
Steve Gildea, Board Member
Lance DeFrancisco, Board Member
JT Tidd, Board Member
Jordan Griffith, Board Member
Jack Collins, Board Member
Have a Safe and Blessed Holiday Season!
