Roger Magowitz, co-founder of the Seena Magowitz Celebrity Golf Classic and President of Mattress Discounters in Virginia Beach, Va announced that Stand Up to Cancer’s (SU2U) $18 million grant recipient Dr. Daniel Von Hoff will join Jai Pausch the wife of the late Carnegie Mellon University computer science professor Dr. Randy Pausch who died from pancreatic cancer for the seventh annual Seena Magowitz Celebrity Golf Classic.
Von Hoff, the keynote speaker and Honorary Chair Pausch will join bedding industry executives at this year’s fundraiser for pancreatic cancer research which is expected to reach the $2 million mark. The weekend event swings into action Dec. 4 and 5 at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa.
Dr. Von Hoff, M.D. F.A.C.P., Physician-in-Chief at Phoenix-based Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), is one of the world’s leading authorities on pancreatic cancer and the recipient of Stand Up to Cancer’s (SU2U) $18 million grant will discuss the progress being made against this disease and approaches underway throughout the world to improve the quality of life for those struggling with the disease. “Discoveries directly follow funding and pancreatic cancer receives little in comparison to the percentage of lives it takes—it is a dream come true to have these resources,” said Von Hoff.
For Pausch, this is the first major weekend fundraising event since the passing of her husband. Ten months before his death, Randy delivered The Last Lecture speech to his students about the importance of achieving childhood dreams turning him into an overnight celebrity and further raising awareness about pancreatic cancer. “I believe we can all contribute something, no matter how small, to make a positive difference for pancreatic cancer patients, survivors and the surviving families,” said Pausch.
“We are proud to have Dr. Van Hoff and Jai joining us for this milestone event,” said Roger Magowitz, co-founder of the event and President of Mattress Discounters in Virginia Beach, Va. “Jai has done so much to bring this disease into the limelight and Dr. Von Hoff’s grant has helped raise public awareness of this deadly disease. We hope that this year’s fundraiser will raise more than just funds.”
Magowitz who cofounded the event with Ray Bojanowski in 2003, began the tournament in honor of his mother, Seena, whom he lost to pancreatic cancer in 2001. Since its inception, the event has become one of the nation’s largest fundraisers for the fight against pancreatic cancer.
What began as a small event, is now the bedding industry’s largest cause-related event, bringing together such rivals as Sealy, Simmons, Tempur-Pedic, Stearns & Foster and Protect-A-Bed and a star-studded cast, including Molly Culver, Patrika Darbo, Kevin Dobson, Gregory Itzin, David Leisure, Napoleon McCallum, Chris Rich, Stefanie Schaeffer, Paula Trickey, Hollywood “Wolf” Yates and Kevin Nee. Many executives have lost colleagues or family members to the disease and the industry has rallied around the cause. Despite a difficult economy, the event this year is expected to raise as much as $500,000. Tournament proceeds will benefit the El Segundo, Calif.-based Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, and TGen.
Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the U.S., with a mortality rate of 95-percent; yet, less than 2-percent of the National Cancer Institute’s federal research funding is dedicated to pancreatic cancer research. “We urgently need funding for pancreatic cancer research to give patients a fighting chance,” stated Julie Fleshman, President and CEO of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. “Funds raised through events like this will help us advance research, which can lead to finding more effective treatment options and early detection methods.”
More than 37,000 people in the United States are expected to be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year, and nearly 33,000 will die.
For more information, visit www.seenamagowitzcelebritygolfclassic.com, the TGen Foundation at www.tgen.org and www.pancan.org for Pancreatic Cancer Action Network’s current campaign: November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.