17th Annual Holiday Rock & Roll Bash Raises More Than $800,000 for the Lustgarten Foundation Dec 14, 2017
All Money Raised Goes Directly to Pancreatic Cancer Research
Swizz Beatz and Radio City Rockettes Performed to Support the Fight Against Pancreatic Cancer
The Madison Square Garden Company and AMC Networks Hosted Event at Tao Downtown in New York City
NEW YORK, Dec. 14, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — On Wednesday evening, December 13, The Madison Square Garden Company (NYSE:MSG) and AMC Networks (NASDAQ:AMCX) hosted the 17th Annual Holiday Rock & Roll Bash to benefit the Lustgarten Foundation, the nation’s largest private funder of pancreatic cancer research. The Bash is the Foundation’s premier fundraising event, and this year, raised more than $800,000. Thanks to private funding, 100 percent of every dollar raised goes directly to pancreatic cancer research.
Entertainment for the event, held at Tao Downtown in New York City, included a special DJ set from Grammy Award winning music producer and recording artist Swizz Beatz, along with an exclusive performance from the Christmas Spectacular by the world-famous Radio City Rockettes.
“Over the past 17 years, the Bash has raised more than $23 million to further our goal of ending pancreatic cancer,” said Kerri Kaplan, president and chief executive officer of the Lustgarten Foundation. “The only way to achieve that goal is through research, and we have the most talented researchers diligently working on earlier detection methods and more effective treatments. We are incredibly grateful to MSG and AMC Networks for supporting us in this mission, and putting on this outstanding fundraising event.”
There has never been a more exciting time in pancreatic cancer research. Earlier this year, in an unprecedented, fast-tracked review, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda®) as the first immunotherapy treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer patients whose tumors are mismatch repair deficient. It is estimated that approximately 1 in 50 advanced pancreatic cancer patients have tumors that are mismatch repair deficient. The Lustgarten Foundation played a critical role in bringing Keytruda to pancreatic cancer patients by funding this innovative research, encouraging patients to get their tumors tested, and covering the cost of the test.
However, there is still much work to be done. Pancreatic cancer is swift and silent, and often undetected until it is too late. The overall five-year survival rate is still only eight percent and most with advanced pancreatic cancer die within a year. It is the third-leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States.
The Lustgarten Foundation was established in 1998 to honor Marc Lustgarten, who served as the former vice chairman of Cablevision Systems Corporation and chairman of Madison Square Garden, before he died from pancreatic cancer. James Dolan, executive chairman and chief executive officer of The Madison Square Garden Company and former chief executive officer of Cablevision; and Charles Dolan, executive chairman of AMC Networks and former chairman of Cablevision, helped establish the Foundation, and have been closely involved in supporting its mission to advance pancreatic cancer research and paying homage to Mr. Lustgarten’s legacy.
About The Lustgarten Foundation
The Lustgarten Foundation is America’s largest private foundation dedicated to funding pancreatic cancer research. Based in Woodbury, NY, the Foundation supports research to find a cure for pancreatic cancer. Since its inception, the Lustgarten Foundation has directed $132 million to research. For more information, please visit www.lustgarten.org.
Contacts:
Mikyl Cordova
The Madison Square Garden Company
212-631-4337
[email protected]Source: The Madison Square Garden Company