- For the third consecutive year, teams of Bristol-Myers Squibb employees will cycle across the U.S. in the Coast 2 Coast 4 Cancer Ride to raise donations in support of Stand Up To Cancer’s efforts to accelerate research
- Bristol-Myers Squibb will match money raised, dollar-for-dollar, up to $500,000
PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, the first of six teams of Bristol-Myers
Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) oncology employees set out from Cannon
Beach on the Oregon coast on the first leg of the 2016
Coast 2
Coast 4 Cancer Ride
, a 21-day cycling ride that will bring
together 80 riders to cover approximately 2,800 miles on a mission for
cancer patients and their loved ones by raising money for Stand Up To
Cancer’s innovative cancer research programs.
As part of the 2016
Coast 2 Coast 4 Cancer Ride
,
Bristol-Myers Squibb will match funds raised dollar-for-dollar up to
$500,000, to support Stand Up To Cancer, whose collaborative “Dream
Teams” of scientific researchers are working together to accelerate
cancer research and to provide new treatments to patients. Last year’s
ride raised $841,000 for Stand Up To Cancer research and this year the
goal is even higher –
the
Coast 2 Coast 4 Cancer
Ride
aims to reach $1,000,000 in donations.
“I could not be prouder of these riders, many of whom spend the majority
of their time in an office and not on a bike. But they are committed to
doing whatever it takes to help patients fighting cancer because we all
take this cause very personally,” said Chris Boerner, PhD, president and
head of U.S. commercial operations, Bristol-Myers Squibb. “Everyone on
these teams is riding for someone they know who has been touched by
cancer. This year, I’m riding for my late cousin, whose strength in
fighting stomach cancer inspired me to dedicate my professional career
to fighting cancer.”
One of this year’s riders, Lee Krug, MD, explained, “Like so many
Coast
2 Coast 4 Cancer Ride
team members, I have seen the devastating
impact that cancer can have on patients and their loved ones, but also
the strength and endurance that they so often show. They really are our
inspiration on the road. This ride is about hope and about our combined
efforts for patients.”
“One in two men and one in three women in the U.S. will be affected by
cancer, so we all have someone we can stand up for. For the third year
in a row, the
Coast 2 Coast 4 Cancer Ride
is standing
alongside us as we work to make every person diagnosed with cancer a
survivor,” said Katie Couric, Yahoo Global News anchor and Stand Up To
Cancer co-founder. “You take these incredibly dedicated riders, and you
combine them with Bristol-Myers Squibb’s commitment to match money
raised, dollar-for-dollar, up to $500,000, and what you have is a truly
powerful, winning team. That’s what patients fighting cancer deserve,
and our hope is that everyone will join us in supporting the
Coast
2 Coast 4 Cancer Ride
effort.”
For more information about this epic team effort and to follow the
riders as they cross the country, visit cancerbikeride.org.
Follow the Ride
on Twitter by using #C2C4Cancer.
Join the conversation
on Twitter by using #C2C4Cancer.
About Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission
is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help
patients prevail over serious diseases. For more information about
Bristol-Myers Squibb, visit us at BMS.com
or follow us on LinkedIn,
Twitter,
YouTube
and Facebook.
About Stand Up To Cancer
Stand Up To Cancer® (SU2C) raises funds to accelerate the pace of
research to get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives now.
SU2C, a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a
501(c)(3) charitable organization, was established in 2008 by film and
media leaders who utilize the industry’s resources to engage the public
in supporting a new, collaborative model of cancer research, and to
increase awareness about progress being made in the fight against the
disease. As SU2C’s scientific partner, the American Association for
Cancer Research (AACR) and a Scientific Advisory Committee led by Nobel
Laureate Phillip A. Sharp, Ph.D., conduct rigorous, competitive review
processes to identify the best research proposals to recommend for
funding, oversee grants administration, and provide expert review of
research progress.
For more information on Stand Up To Cancer, visit www.standup2cancer.org
Bristol-Myers Squibb:Heather Acker, 973-713-6137 heather.acker@bms.com orStand Up To Cancer:Adam Miller, 212-843-8032 amiller@rubenstein.com