August 1, 2008 – Stand Up To Cancer (www.standup2cancer.org), a new initiative to raise philanthropic dollars for accelerating ground-breaking cancer research, today announced that a 115 square foot display window at 10 Rockefeller Plaza will feature a video simulation of its interactive Facebook application, “The Stand.”
The social networking application, which has more than 4,000 participants so far, appears on the organization’s web site, and illustrates how cancer connects us all: everyone who is affected by cancer can add their face to “The Stand,” tell their story, and share their connection to the disease.
In the Rockefeller Plaza simulation, an individual’s photo emerges from a wall of faces to reveal the person’s connection to cancer: survivor, in treatment, newly diagnosed, in the fight or touched by.
“The Stand” at Rockefeller Plaza can be viewed from August 1st through September 5th.
The Stand Up To Cancer website is just one part of a multifaceted campaign whose centerpiece is a primetime television special that will air on September 5, 2008 (8 pm EDT and PDT), aimed at rallying the public around the goal of ending cancer’s reign as a leading cause of death by supporting research.
In an unprecedented collaboration, ABC, CBS and NBC will donate one hour of simultaneous commercial-free primetime for this nationally televised fundraising event.
The televised special will feature live performances by legendary recording artists and stars from film and television who will perform as well as present filmed content giving viewers insight into cancer. Various screening tests will be demonstrated in novel and entertaining ways, as well as reports from network evening news anchors Charles Gibson, Katie Couric and Brian Williams.
The telecast will be produced by Laura Ziskin.
Donated by EHE International, “The Stand” at Rockefeller Plaza will also feature two large banners on either side of the monitor, one of which will promote www.standup2cancer.org and the other will include a tune-in message for the September 5th televised show.
“We hope to educate people about cancer, and encourage them to recognize and act on any risk factors and warning signs they might discover,” said Deborah McKeever, President of EHE International.
Trigger, LLC, a digital marketing agency specializing in entertainment and youth branding, provided the technical services to develop “The Stand” for Facebook and adapt it for the Rockefeller Plaza display.
Every day, cancer kills 1,500 Americans – one person every minute. This year, more than 550,000 Americans and six million people worldwide will succumb to this disease. One out of three women and one in every two men will be diagnosed in their lifetimes. With advances in technology and research, scientists are close to pushing cancer from a disease that all too often takes lives to one people largely survive.
Everyone whose life has been touched by cancer can join the Stand Up To Cancer community through its multiplatform presence on the web.
One card on “The Stand” simply reads:
John Smith, Englewood, NJ, Touched By, Connection:
Father, Cancer Type:
Colon, Message:
I love you Dad.
Lee Cohen of New York wrote, “I don’t have one particular story. All I know is that more and more people I know are being diagnosed with cancer, and a country with our resources can do better than it is in both research and treatment. So I’m in the fight, and will recruit whoever I can to join me.”
Along with The Stand, the website includes: SU2C Magazine: a rich online publication spanning topics from cutting-edge science to cultural impact with leading voices in every field addressing aspects of the disease; SUTV:
video segments are available featuring the cast of The Daily Show as well as Larry David and the moving SU2C PSA directed by David Fincher; and The Constellation: for a donation of a dollar or more, users can launch a star in honor of anyone who has received a cancer diagnosis.
The SU2C leadership team includes Katie Couric; Laura Ziskin; the Entertainment Industry Foundation, represented by Board of Directors Chairperson Sherry Lansing (who is Founder of the Sherry Lansing Foundation) CEO Lisa Paulsen, and Vice President Kathleen Lobb; the Noreen Fraser Foundation and its executives Noreen Fraser (who is also a cancer survivor) and Woody Fraser, and Rusty Robertson and Sue Schwartz also of the Robertson Schwartz Agency; and nonprofit executive Ellen Ziffren. Ziffren’s husband Ken, the noted Hollywood attorney, played a pivotal role in bringing the three networks together for the simultaneous broadcast special – the first one ever to raise funds for the fight against a disease.
Stand Up To Cancer has announced an innovative approach to research designed to bring together the best and brightest investigators from leading institutions around the world. This unique initiative, which will foster scientific collaboration and accelerate the discovery of new therapies, will be administered by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) the world’s oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing research to prevent and cure cancer, under the direction of a Scientific Advisory Committee led by Nobel Laureate Phillip A. Sharp, Ph.D., Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT.
A host of leading individuals and organizations have joined in supporting the SU2C mission, ranging from corporate and foundation donors, to print and online media companies that have contributed invaluable assets. A broad array of cancer advocacy and support groups are also collaborating with Stand Up To Cancer.
Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) is a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, and was established by a group of media, entertainment and philanthropic leaders, whose lives have all been affected by cancer in significant ways. Stand Up To Cancer is bringing industry resources—people, as well as mediums such as television and the web—to bear in the fight against cancer as never before.
Cancer advocacy and support groups collaborating with Stand Up To Cancer include:
The Lance Armstrong Foundation, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Breastcancer.org, C-Change, CancerCare, Colon Cancer Alliance, C3: Colorectal Cancer Coalition, Friends of Cancer Research, Intercultural Cancer Council, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Lung Cancer Alliance, The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation,
National Breast Cancer Coalition, National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, The Prostate Cancer Foundation,
Susan G. Komen for the Cure, The Wellness Community and others.
Visit or Join “The Stand” at: http://www.standup2cancer.org/stand/app.
About AACR
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the oldest and largest scientific organization in the world focusing on every aspect of high-quality, innovative cancer research.
Its reputation for scientific breadth and excellence attracts the premier researchers in the field.
By accelerating the growth and spread of new knowledge about cancer, the AACR is on the front lines in the quest for the prevention and cure of cancer.
About the Entertainment Industry Foundation
The Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), as a leading charitable organization of the entertainment industry, has distributed hundreds of millions of dollars to support programs addressing critical health, education and social issues.
About the Noreen Fraser Foundation
The Noreen Fraser Foundation utilizes film, television and web technologies to raise money as well as to educate and raise awareness about women’s cancers. The funds raised will be used to provide large grants to uniquely qualified cancer researchers.
About EHE International
Since 1913, EHE has been a recognized leader in employee and individual Preventive Healthcare Plans (PHP) specifically designed for the early identification of preventable disease and risk factors; clinical management of health findings; referral resources; and personal coaching intervention programs of adverse lifestyle behaviors associated with poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and smoking. Its nationally available PHP is a comprehensive, integrated approach to preventive healthcare for the reduction and management of future medical claims expenses. For more information, contact EHE International, 10 Rockefeller Plaza, 4th Floor, New York , New York 10020 ; 212.332.3702; www.EHEINTL.com.
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