St. John's University Athletics
St. John’s Hosts Dribble for Victory over Cancer
9/25/2021 2:01:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball
Red Storm men’s and women’s basketball programs participate in 11th annual event to benefit Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation
QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's men's and women's basketball programs hosted their 11th annual Dribble for Victory over Cancer event on Saturday, raising over $75,000 to support work that will one-day defeat pediatric cancer.
Dribble for Victory over Cancer, formerly known as Dribble for The Cure, is a joint venture between the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation and the V Foundation for Cancer Research to end childhood cancer. All proceeds from the event support the work of Dr. Mitchell Cairo, Chief of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation at New York Medical College.
Since former St. John's head coach Steve Lavin helped bring Dribble for the Cure, which first started at UCLA, to St. John's in 2011, funds raised from the Queens event are closing in on the $1 million mark.
"It's a great day to be here and I'm really indebted to St. John's, who have become my heroes over the years starting with Steve Lavin and every coach since then," said Dr. Cairo. "St. John's mantra of public service and giving back really is something that should be emulated across the country. This is just one microcosm of your support for people who are in need both here locally and around the world."
At the conclusion of his introductory remarks, Dr. Cairo invited three individuals on stage who have directly benefitted from the work of the Pediatric Cancer Research Fund. A young woman, Amanda, and a young man, Daniel, who are both pediatric cancer survivors and Owen, who is currently engaged in a fight against acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Before beginning their dribbling lap of campus, attendees heard from the head coaches of the men's and women's basketball programs, Mike Anderson and Joe Tartamella.
"Because of the tremendous support and generosity of people like yourselves here today, Dr. Cairo's research has contributed to increases in survival rates for pediatric cancer," said Anderson. "We've raised almost a million dollar, but let's keep donating, keep contributing."
"For me, I was here when Coach Lavin started this almost 11 years ago and I don't think we understood what kind of impact we would have with this organization," said Tartamella. "To see how much it's grown, you hear the numbers, almost a million dollars. To see the smiling faces of the kids here, to see the survivors, people who are battling right now, it's something that's part of the footprint and the fabric of what St. John's is about."
Since its founding in 1982, the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation has raised more than $50 million and funded more than 30 research institutions. Thanks in large part to the efforts of the PCRF and like-minded organizations, survival rates from childhood cancers have risen from 10 percent to nearly 85 percent during that same period.
Inspired by its co-founder and namesake, Jim Valvano, the V Foundation has awarded over $260 million in cancer research grants since its inception in 1993. 100 percent of donations to the V Foundation go directly to cancer research.
Dribble for Victory over Cancer, formerly known as Dribble for The Cure, is a joint venture between the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation and the V Foundation for Cancer Research to end childhood cancer. All proceeds from the event support the work of Dr. Mitchell Cairo, Chief of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation at New York Medical College.
Since former St. John's head coach Steve Lavin helped bring Dribble for the Cure, which first started at UCLA, to St. John's in 2011, funds raised from the Queens event are closing in on the $1 million mark.
"It's a great day to be here and I'm really indebted to St. John's, who have become my heroes over the years starting with Steve Lavin and every coach since then," said Dr. Cairo. "St. John's mantra of public service and giving back really is something that should be emulated across the country. This is just one microcosm of your support for people who are in need both here locally and around the world."
At the conclusion of his introductory remarks, Dr. Cairo invited three individuals on stage who have directly benefitted from the work of the Pediatric Cancer Research Fund. A young woman, Amanda, and a young man, Daniel, who are both pediatric cancer survivors and Owen, who is currently engaged in a fight against acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Before beginning their dribbling lap of campus, attendees heard from the head coaches of the men's and women's basketball programs, Mike Anderson and Joe Tartamella.
"Because of the tremendous support and generosity of people like yourselves here today, Dr. Cairo's research has contributed to increases in survival rates for pediatric cancer," said Anderson. "We've raised almost a million dollar, but let's keep donating, keep contributing."
"For me, I was here when Coach Lavin started this almost 11 years ago and I don't think we understood what kind of impact we would have with this organization," said Tartamella. "To see how much it's grown, you hear the numbers, almost a million dollars. To see the smiling faces of the kids here, to see the survivors, people who are battling right now, it's something that's part of the footprint and the fabric of what St. John's is about."
Since its founding in 1982, the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation has raised more than $50 million and funded more than 30 research institutions. Thanks in large part to the efforts of the PCRF and like-minded organizations, survival rates from childhood cancers have risen from 10 percent to nearly 85 percent during that same period.
Inspired by its co-founder and namesake, Jim Valvano, the V Foundation has awarded over $260 million in cancer research grants since its inception in 1993. 100 percent of donations to the V Foundation go directly to cancer research.
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