More than CAD $119 Million Pledged so far in U.S. and Canada in Connection with Sept 5 Stand Up To Cancer Fundraising Special

CAD $30 Million Pledged by Canadian Health Charities, Government-Funded Organizations, Corporations and the Public

Inaugural SU2C Canada Dream Teams to Begin Research in Summer 2015

Stand Up To Cancer Telecast is Available Online at https://ca.celebrity.yahoo.com/video/stand-cancer-170000054.html

http://www.standup2cancer.ca | http://facebook.com/su2c.ca | Instagram: @SU2C_CA | Twitter: @SU2C_CA

TORONTO, Sept. 7, 2014 /CNW/ - More than CAD $119 million has been pledged so far in connection with the star-studded September 5 Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) "roadblock" fundraising telecast in Canada and the U.S., it was announced today. The CAD $30 million pledged in Canada will be used by Stand Up To Cancer Canada (SU2C Canada) and in some cases by collaborating organizations to support joint research efforts utilizing the SU2C model and scientific oversight. Funds pledged by the Canadian public during the telecast will stay in Canada to support the creation of collaborative research teams, as well as education and awareness programs conducted in Canada.

"We are enormously grateful to all of our donors and collaborators -- from the individual television viewer to large organizations, both in Canada and the U.S. -- whose contributions made the telecast a huge success," said Lisa Paulsen, EIF Canada Board Member and President & CEO of The Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is a co-creator of the U.S.-based SU2C initiative.  "All this support, as well as the entertainment communities -- both the stars who volunteered their talents and broadcast and cable networks donating air time -- means so much to cancer patients who can benefit from the SU2C approach to research." 

For the first time, there was a Canada-inclusive co-broadcast of the telecast, which aired simultaneously on all four major English-language Canadian networks: CBC, City, CTV and Global, along with Canadian services AMI, CHCH, CHEK, Fight Network, Gusto TV, Hollywood Suite and TLN. The telecast also streamed live and remains available on Yahoo in Canada.

The 2014 SU2C telecast was the first of its kind for Canada. EIF Canada, a Canadian registered charity, utilizes the entertainment industry's resources via SU2C Canada to engage the Canadian public, health charities, government-funded agencies and corporations in these efforts. EIF Canada's charitable registration number is 80550 6730 RR0001.

"Canadians have a generous spirit and we are a generous nation," said Rona Ambrose, Canada's Minister of Health. "I congratulate the SU2C initiative on their truly innovative approach to supporting cancer research. I am pleased to stand with them and all Canadians who have contributed to this collective effort to tackle this disease."

In the U.S. ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC, along with ABC Family, American Forces Network, AXS TV, Bravo, Cooking Channel, DIRECTV, Discovery Fit & Health, E!, Encore, Encore Español, EPIX, ESPNEWS, FOX Sports 2, FXM, HBO, HBO Latino, ION Television, LMN, Logo TV, MLB Network, National Geographic Channel, Oxygen, Palladia, Pivot, SHOWTIME, Smithsonian Channel, Starz, TNT and VH1 donated one hour of simultaneous commercial-free primetime for the nationally televised fundraising special on Friday, September 5, broadcast live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The show also streamed live on both Hulu and Yahoo, and is still available on each.

As in 2012, the broadcast was executive produced by Gwyneth Paltrow and Joel Gallen of Tenth Planet Productions in collaboration with SU2C's production team.

In addition to Paltrow, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Camila Alves, Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Bacon, Justin Bartha, Halle Berry, Jordana Brewster, Pierce Brosnan, Steve Carell, Dane Cook, Bradley Cooper, Katie Couric, Brittany Daniel, Amanda de Cadenet, Giada De Laurentiis, Zooey Deschanel, Robert Downey, Jr., Ben Falcone, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Will Ferrell, Josh Gad, Tony Goldwyn, Topher Grace, Dave Grohl, Kathryn Hahn, Tony Hale, Jon Hamm, Angie Harmon, Mark Harmon, Neil Patrick Harris, Marg Helgenberger, Anna Kendrick, Rob Lowe, Joe Manganiello, Danny McBride, Melissa McCarthy, Matthew McConaughey, Maria Menounos, Mike Myers, Olivia Munn, Matt Passmore, Italia Ricci, Rob Riggle, Mira Sorvino, Hailee Steinfeld, Ben Stiller, Emma Stone, Eric Stonestreet, Alison Sweeney, Justin Theroux, Bree Turner, Sofia Vergara, Charlie Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, and Ethan Zohn participated in the telecast, as did MLB players Jose Bautista, Miguel Cabrera, Paul Goldschmidt, Derek Jeter, Adam Jones, Jon Lester, Giancarlo Stanton and Mike Trout. The Who; the Dave Matthews Band; Ariana Grande; and Lupe Fiasco with Jennifer Hudson and Common delivered one-of-a-kind musical performances.

Yahoo News Global Anchor Katie Couric, who is a co-founder of the U.S.-based SU2C initiative, hosted an On-Stage Digital Lounge, where participating actors and personalities stood the notion of the traditional 'phone bank' on its head via "We're Calling You," reaching out to supporters via social media and by making phone calls.

"We were thrilled with the way our celebrity ambassadors were able to connect with supporters through the on-stage digital lounge and We're Calling You campaign," said Pam Williams, and one of the producers of the telecast, "and it continues to keep people engaged.  In just a 24-hour period, the fun thank you video Katie Couric and Rob Riggle sent to a supporter via the facebook Mentions Cube during the show was viewed more than 130,000 times!"

Both #SU2C and #StandUpToCancer trended on Twitter throughout the U.S. and Canada during the broadcast.

The show helps fund SU2C's groundbreaking approach to translational research, accelerating the delivery of new therapies to patients by getting them from the "bench to the bedside" as quickly as possible.  SU2C Canada brings together scientists from different disciplines across various institutions to work collaboratively, rather than competitively. All funds received from the Canadian general public during the broadcast will be directed towards the creation of collaborative research teams, as well as education and awareness programs conducted in Canada.

Organizations collaborating with the SU2C Canada initiative include the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, with support from The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC); the Canadian Cancer Society; the Cancer Stem Cell Consortium, with funding from Genome Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research; the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research; and The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). MasterCard and AstraZeneca Canada are the first Canadian corporate supporters of SU2C Canada.

Executive Producer Gwyneth Paltrow, who lost her father Bruce to cancer 12 years ago, said, "The fight against this insidious disease is very personal for me, as it is for so many of us. One in two men and one in three women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetimes, but when we all stand together, we can change the odds. When we all stand together, cancer doesn't stand a chance.  That sense of community is what the telecast is all about."

"It's a privilege to work with so many great names from the entertainment community to rally the public around this cause," said Gallen, who, in addition to serving as executive producer, also directed the show. "But our goal was to remind everyone who the real stars of this movement are the brilliant scientists finding new ways to combat this disease, and the brave patients contending with it every day."

The broadcast included inspiring stories of people living with cancer who have directly benefited from the type of groundbreaking, translational research that is encouraged and supported by SU2C.

Don Konantz of Vancouver, British Columbia, has been living with prostate cancer since 2013. Don climbed the noted and grueling Grouse Grind every morning before daily radiation treatments over an eight week period. His optimism about the rapid development of new treatment options for his disease motivated him to enter triathlon events, including an upcoming 'Ironman' triathlon. Despite feeling he "had no business" taking on such grueling physical challenges, "I started," he said. "And it felt great."

Two out of five Canadians are expected to develop cancer in their lifetimes. Every hour of every day, an estimated 22 Canadians will be diagnosed with some type of cancer, and nine people will die from the disease -- the leading cause of death in Canada. The SU2C research model was founded on the belief that we are at a pivotal juncture with the potential for transformative progress in cancer research because of two trends: breakthroughs made in our understanding of the basic science of cancer, and technological advances that enable us to translate them into new treatments. Today's cancer researchers need additional funding to fulfill the promise of life-saving discoveries, and SU2C Canada engages the public to support their work.

It is expected that SU2C Canada, with  input from the SU2C Canada collaborators on the focus for inaugural dream team research, will issue a Call for Ideas in Fall 2014 and the first Dream Teams will be announced and begin their work in Summer 2015.

Research proposals will be reviewed by the SU2C Canada Scientific Advisory Committee (CSAC), which will be composed of leading researchers and co-chaired by Alan Bernstein, O.C., Ph.D., FRSC, President and CEO of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), and Nobel Laureate Phillip A. Sharp, Ph.D., Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT.

About EIF Canada / Stand Up To Cancer Canada

EIF Canada, a Canadian registered charity (Reg. # 80550 6730 RR0001), founded by the U.S.-based Entertainment Industry Foundation, was established to conduct charitable programs in Canada addressing health and other issues. Stand Up To Cancer Canada (SU2C Canada) is a program of EIF Canada that raises funds to support collaborative research teams, as well as education and awareness programs conducted in Canada.

About the U.S.-Based Stand Up To Cancer Initiative

Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) raises funds to accelerate the pace of research to get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives now. The U.S.-based SU2C program, part 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.

About the Entertainment Industry Foundation

Stand Up To Cancer is a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that serves as the collective philanthropy for the television and film businesses. EIF has distributed hundreds of millions of dollars to support programs addressing critical health, education and social issues. For more information, visit www.eifoundation.org.

SOURCE: CTV