Bounce Back from Cancer™ Takes to the Streets on March 12 to Benefit Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute
MIAMI, FL — February 2, 2023 — Bounce Back from CancerTM, a partnership between Baptist Health Foundation and the Miami HEAT, will once again unite the South Florida community to dribble or walk on Sunday, March 12, 2023, and raise funds towards this year’s goal of $2.5 million to benefit Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute, a part of Baptist Health Cancer Care.
Now in its fifth year, Bounce Back from CancerTM is a grassroots, community-wide, family-friendly event that has raised a cumulative $3.5 million for research at the Institute since 2018. In 2022, the event hosted nearly 750 registered participants and 3,100 unique donors.
Participants and teams can choose to dribble or walk a 14.2- or 2-mile course — from either Miami Cancer Institute or The Underline’s Brickell Backyard — to the Miami HEAT’s arena. Donations are pledged in support of a participant or team. All participants receive a signature Pineapple Basketball to dribble at the event as well as a Bounce Back “swag bag” of branded merchandise. Participants who complete the 14.2-mile Bounce Back Challenge will receive a basketball autographed by a Miami HEAT player.
Miami HEAT team captain and Miami native Udonis Haslem reprises his role this year as Bounce Back from CancerTM brand ambassador. He will greet and rally participants at The Underline the day of the event and lead the celebration at the arena at the end of the walk.
“We’re excited about how Bounce Back from CancerTM is shaping up in 2023,” said Joe Natoli, chief administrative officer for Baptist Health. “We’ve already received $1.5 million in sponsorships and donations, surpassing last year’s total. The community’s support of Miami Cancer Institute and Bounce Back from CancerTM is growing, with more teams and participants than ever before.”
A new component has been added to the 2023 event — MVP and All-Star fundraisers, who commit to raising $50,000 and $2,500 respectively. These “key players” are an elite group of fundraising champions who are responsible for 60% of the funds raised for the cause, and eligible for special recognition, autographed jerseys and other opportunities.
“We are so grateful to all those who have signed up to become MVPs and All-Stars,” said Alex Villoch, CEO of Baptist Health Foundation. “This cause is very meaningful to many, especially Miami Cancer Institute patients and their families, who want to give back to a place that has had a tremendous impact on their lives.”
Richard A. Berkowitz, JD, CPA, chair of Bounce Back from CancerTM and founding and executive chairman of Berkowitz Pollack Brant Advisors + CPAs, added, “We each have a chance to make a difference in the level of cancer care in our community. One hundred percent of the money raised by participants goes to life-saving research at Miami Cancer Institute. Our MVPs and All-Stars lead the charge, but every person who donates and participates makes an impact.”
For more information about Bounce Back from CancerTM, visit HeatHelpCure.org.
About Baptist Health Foundation
The mission of Baptist Health Foundation is to inspire philanthropy and build extraordinary donor relationships in support of excellence, innovation, community wellness and global leadership in healthcare at Baptist Health South Florida. Through philanthropy, the Foundation supports and expands Baptist Health’s ability to provide outstanding patient care and bring the latest treatments to patients and families affected by a serious illness. Donor contributions also allow the Foundation to assist Baptist Health facilities in keeping pace with technology and equipment advances, perform cutting-edge research and offer continuing education opportunities to medical staff. Learn more at https://baptisthealth.net/baptist-health-foundation.
About Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute
Miami Cancer Institute brings to South Florida access to personalized clinical treatments and comprehensive support services delivered with unparalleled compassion. No other cancer program in the region has the combination of cancer-fighting expertise and advanced technology—including the first proton therapy center in South Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean, and one of the only radiation oncology programs in the world with each of the newest radiation therapies in one place—to diagnose and deliver precise cancer treatments that achieve the best outcomes and improve the lives of cancer patients. The Institute offers an impressive roster of established community oncologists and renowned experts, clinical researchers and genomic scientists recruited from the nation’s top cancer centers. Selected as Florida’s only member of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer (MSK) Alliance, Miami Cancer Institute is part of a meaningful clinical collaboration that affords patients in South Florida access to innovative treatments and ensures that the standards of care developed by their multidisciplinary disease management teams match those at MSK.
Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute and Baptist Health Foundation are part of Baptist Health South Florida, the largest healthcare organization in the region, with 12 hospitals, more than 26,000 employees, 4,000 physicians and 200 outpatient centers, urgent care facilities and physician practices spanning across Miami-Dade, Monroe, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Baptist Health has internationally renowned centers of excellence in cancer, cardiovascular care, orthopedics and sports medicine, and neurosciences. In addition, it includes Baptist Health Medical Group; Baptist Health Quality Network; and Baptist Health Care On Demand, a virtual health platform. A not-for-profit organization supported by philanthropy and committed to its faith-based charitable mission of medical excellence, Baptist Health has been recognized by Fortune as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America and by Ethisphere as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies.
For more information, visit BaptistHealth.net/Newsroom and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
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