Milestone Money: PTTP 2019 raises over $334K, Over $1.77M raised since 2011
Published 9:03 am Wednesday, May 1, 2019
Paint the Town Pink 2019 ended its campaign with another record-breaking year, raising $334,403.67 for cancer research at the Hormel Institute.
“On behalf of The Hormel Institute and everyone who cares about raising money for cancer research, we thank you,” said PTTP Executive Director Kathi Finley. “This is a tremendous gift.”
This year’s total is a $25,000 increase from last year, bringing the total raised since 2011 to over $1.77 million.
“These dollars are critically important and all who support Paint the Town Pink join us on the frontlines of helping us further discoveries that extend lives,” said Hormel Institute Executive Director Dr. Zigang Dong in a press release. “Together we are on the mission of research breakthroughs that prevent cancer or control it so people live longer.”
Funds raised by Paint the Town Pink go towards seed grants for researchers at theHormel Institute to support innovative cancer research projects that wouldn’t otherwise be possible.
This year’s Paint the Town Pink campaign “Every Dollar, Every Cancer, Every Person Matters” highlights the fact that these seed grants and other cancer research projects have found that research done on one cancer, like breast cancer, can make discoveries that affect many different cancers.
Eight PTTP seed grants are currently in their second year of funding at the Hormel Institute, providing scientists with results they can use to apply for larger, national grants to continue their research into the future.
The 2020 campaign will mark the 10th year for Paint the Town Pink and two general cancer research grants will be awarded to Hormel Institute scientists in addition to the eight grants underway.
PTTP 2019 ambassador Maegan Siebe, who was diagnosed with an inflammatory form of breast cancer in December 2013, shared the importance of cancer research.
“Cancer was the furthest thing from my mind, and one of my main concerns was that the treatment would take me away from my young students and may prevent me from having children of my own,” she said.
After several rounds of chemotherapy, Siebe underwent surgery. Since then, she has been cancer-free.
“Not everyone gets the positive outcome I received, so that’s why cancer research is so important,” she said.
PTTP representatives and officials from the Hormel Institute presented Siebe with a pink pedal-driven tractor, a gift for her daughter, who was born in 2017.
“My daughter has been such a blessing to my life,” Siebe said. “It was the hardest part of being diagnosed, not knowing if I was going to be able to have children. This is such a sweet present and she is going to love it.”