$26.5K kick starts prostate cancer fund
Published 10:34 am Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Tom Gillard of Farmers Insurance presents a $26,500 donation Friday for prostate cancer research to The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota to Dr. Margot Cleary, one of the section leaders at the Institute. The money was raised March 7 at the first “Bowling for the Battle” fundraiser to support the Institute’s prostate cancer research. Pictured, from left, are: The Institute’s Gail Dennison, Jim Benson and Pat Andreas of Farmers Insurance, Dr. Cleary, Gillard and Laura Maschka of Farmers Insurance. — Photo provided
A $26,500 donation raised by the first “Bowling for the Battle” fundraiser in Austin led to the creation of a research fund at the Hormel Institute specifically for prostate cancer research.
It was the fourth annual bowling event for a cause with this year’s event directed for the first time at raising prevention awareness and funds for prostate cancer research.
“I have been dealing with prostate cancer for four and a half years,” Gillard said in a press release, “so after talking with our planning group, we decided to give the funds to the Hormel Institute for prostate cancer research. The support we received was overwhelming.”
“Bowling for the Battle” drew 128 bowlers along with numerous others, he said.
This gift will be the first contribution to a new fund created by the Institute’s Executive Director Zigang Dong to specifically support research into preventing and controlling prostate cancer — the most-common form of cancer diagnosed in American men, excluding non-melanoma skin cancers. Nearly half of the Hormel Institute’s 14 cancer research sections have projects related to prostate cancer.
The new fund is similar to the special fund created at the Hormel Institute for researching breast cancer, the most common form of cancer diagnosed in the United States after non-melanoma skin cancers. Dong said he appreciates the community’s great support of the Institute.
“This is a greatly appreciated and important gift that we will maximize through a growing fund,” Dong said in a press release. “Like the breast cancer research fund, once donations reach a certain level, the fund will be used for seed grants for prostate cancer research projects selected by an outside peer panel as well as for new technology to support this work.”
Donors giving to the Hormel Institute may now designate a gift to support general cancer research or direct donations to either the prostate cancer or breast cancer research fund. As with any donation made to The Hormel Institute, 100 percent of each gift directly funds cancer research.
