Austin and the surrounding communities are full of people who support causes they are passionate about. Coming out of the month of February and Paint the Town Pink, the scientists at The Hormel Institute feel that passion and support strongly.

Last weekend we at The Hormel Institute were reminded again of the generosity of our community. The annual Bowling for the Battle prostate cancer fundraiser was held at Echo Lanes this past Saturday, March 5 and raised over $36,000. This is the second year this event has benefitted The Hormel Institute and we are amazed by the continued growth of this incredible event.

Last year this event raised enough in donations to establish a research fund at The Hormel Institute specifically focused on prostate cancer, similar to the breast cancer fund supported by Paint the Town Pink. With this year’s gift, Bowling for the Battle has now donated more than $62,000 overall for prostate cancer research at The Hormel Institute.

As with any donation to The Hormel Institute, 100 percent of your gift dollars have directly funded research — the only answer to cancer.

We deeply thank Tom and Doreen Gillard; Laura and Jason Maschka; Pat and Dawn Andreas; Chase Rayman; Jim Benson; Tom Weichmann; and Echo Lanes as well as everyone who generously gave auction and raffle items and those who generously donated.

You all are helping to make a difference in the fight against prostate cancer and following our motto of: “Today’s Research, Tomorrow’s Cures.”

Dr. Zigang Dong,

Executive director of The Hormel Institute