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Posts Tagged ‘Canary Challenge’

Canary Challenge Training with Vanderkitten Racing

April 15, 2013

vander

Are you looking to step up your performance for the Canary Challenge on September 28? You are invited to participate in a special cycling training session hosted by Vanderkitten Racing! All Canary-registered cyclists are encouraged to attend, and are welcome to bring a friend for no charge.

For those not yet registered, the training is $25 (or you can register for the Canary Challenge to waive the fee). Don’t worry about getting left behind! This is a no-drop ride for beginners and intermediate cyclists.

Training Details
Sunday, April 21st
10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Palo Alto, CA
Departs from California Avenue
(Exact location included in response to your RSVP)

 

In Memory: Lawrence Viariseo, Canary Challenge Rider and Cancer Early Detection Advocate

January 29, 2013

LawrenceLawrence Viariseo survived a fall off of a tall cliff, and fought a brave battle with cancer before his passing in late January. He raised funds for the Canary Challenge in 2012.  His service is being held February 9, 2013 in Palo Alto, California.

Mr. Viariseo asked for friends or family members to donate to the Canary Challenge in lieu of flowers.

His niece Megan Cox describes him this way, “As you may remember, my uncle was a paraplegic who had beat stage 4 bladder cancer once before.  The doctors at Stanford he felt had saved his life. It meant the world to him to be entering into the challenge in 2012 to give back to those doctors.”

CLICK HERE to make a donation to honor his memory. Please write a personal note if you would like.

Here is a lovely article that ran last year regarding his story, and his commitment to the Canary Challenge.

Cancer Early Detection in 2013: Canary Foundation Leads the Way

January 9, 2013

Everyone here at Canary Foundation is looking forward to an exceptional year filled with challenges and scientific milestones for our program teams working on early cancer detection research in ovarian, breast, lung, pancreatic and prostate cancer.

LuncheonWe’re starting the year with a bang! We’ll host our first event of the year on February 8: our annual Ladies’ Luncheon featuring Jesse Draper (most famously known as the host of The Valley Girl Show), who will interview Canary Foundation Founder Don Listwin and Director of CCS and Chair of Radiology Dr. Sam Gambhir on the latest news in early cancer detection. It’s not too late to register!

This February is also the one-year anniversary of our Breast Cancer Early Detection Program. Canary Foundation scientists are collaborating with the Cancer Prevention Institute of California to study pre-diagnostic breast cancer samples for potential breast cancer biomarkers.

Another upcoming milestone is related to our ongoing research on microbubble imaging technology. We hope (and expect) to begin testing of microbubbles on patients at Stanford in 2013. Keep your eye out for news of impeding FDA approval of microbubble technology – we’ll be sure to share it with you when the news finally breaks!

PorterYou might have read that the Canary Center at Stanford will be moving to a new campus this year. The move to the Porter Street Campus is scheduled for late summer or early fall, to a facility about twice the size of our present building. The Canary Foundation offices will move also, due to Stanford University needing the current location for new uses. We’re all very excited about settling in to our new digs.

If you’ve ever been to a Canary Challenge ride, you’ll know what all the fuss is about! On September 28, 2013, we plan to host over 1,000 cyclists and raise $1 million or more for the Stanford Cancer Institute. The ride will start off from VMware in Palo Alto as it did in 2012. Teams of four or more are encouraged to sign up to participate, and we have a brand new 5K Ride/Walk to accompany the 50K, 75K, 100K and 100-mile rides this year. We encourage you to start building your teams now!

The annual Canary Early Detection Symposium will be hosted this year on October 15, 2013. This event brings together scientists, researchers and high tech industry to solve problems and collaborate in the field of early cancer detection in all of the Canary program areas.

It’s going to be a great year, and we invite you to book your calendars and join us as we raise money, celebrate successes, and forge our way ahead through new horizons in cancer early detection research!

Canary Challenge 2012: Ride for Life Raises Funds for Cancer Research

November 6, 2012

On September 29, 500 riders convened at VMware in Palo Alto to set off on the Canary Challenge ride. All together, we raised $514,000 to benefit the Stanford Cancer Institute and the Canary Center at Stanford. This year’s numbers far surpassed last year’s ride of 344 riders and $300,000 raised. Take note: we have even bigger plans for next year!

Join us on Septeber 28, 2013 for the Canary Challenge 2013. In 2013, we’re looking forward to bringing 1,000 riders in to raise $1M and we’ve added a fun family 5K route for cyclists of all ages.

Early Detection Tool Mass Spectrometers Explained by Dr. Mark Stolowitz

October 25, 2012

Dr. Mark Stolowitz, Director of the Proteomics Core Facility, tells us about Mass Spectrometers and how they’re used for cancer early detection research.

Success! Canary Challenge Roundup Raises Funds for Cancer Research, Early Cancer Detection

October 3, 2012

Here at Canary Foundation we’re celebrating the success of another exceptional Canary Challenge race! We had a great time, and judging from the smiles we saw, you did too.

Canary Foundation is the world’s first non-profit organization dedicated solely to the funding, discovery, and development of tests for early cancer detection. Canary Foundation is dedicated to delivering early detection tests for solid cancer tumors by 2015.

We are so thankful for all the sponsor companies and volunteers whose generous contributions made the day a success – we really couldn’t have done it without you.

In the meantime, here are a couple of shots from the race for those of us who weren’t able to join us. For a full photo gallery, check out the slideshow on the Canary Facebook Page.

Canary Foundation volunteers at Rest Stop 2, where they helped hydrate and feed cyclists in need of a break.

Vanderkitten cyclist Maura Kinsella racing along.

Canary Founder Don Listwin with son Hunter gave riders words of encouragement before the race.

 

Lawrence Viariseo Rides the Canary Challenge

September 13, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLWIyTEYYWc

Lawrence Viariseo has survived falling off a 100-foot cliff and breaking his back, paralysis from the waist down and bladder cancer. At 53, the Palo Alto native is voluntarily embarking on another challenge — a 100-mile bike trip to raise money for cancer research.

Viariseo biked in the Canary Challenge, a fundraiser for the Stanford Cancer Institute. The ride will goes from Palo Alto to Skyline Boulevard, through Pescadero and San Gregorio, onto state Route 1 and back down to Palo Alto.

In this video, he talks about his commitment to the Canary Foundation, and encourages other riders to get involved, help fundraise, and ride in the race.

To learn more about the Canary Challenge, visit www.canarychallenge.com. To read more about Lawrence riding the Canary Challenge, read “A measure of his heart,” an article published by Palo Alto Online.

Canary Challenge Update: Did You Know…?

August 31, 2012

Cyclists who have been training (hopefully!) and fundraising for weeks will descend upon the campus of VMware in Palo Also to ride in the Canary Challenge 2012 in September.  The Canary Challenge is one of the most picturesque rides on the west coast—going from the foothills of Palo Alto & Woodside, to Pescadero, out to the Pacific Ocean.

The Canary Challenge benefits the Stanford Cancer Institute (SCI) and 100% of funds raised will be donated to the SCI for cancer research and innovative clinical programs.

The one-day ride is a fully supported ride that includes great food, generous amenities, stocked rest stops, SAG vehicles, medical support, spirited festivities, and wine & beer garden, and a community of riders who have been touched one way or another by cancer.  Learn more about the Canary Challenge on our website.

Some interesting facts about the Canary Challenge: Did You Know . . ?

  • The male to female rider ratio this year is 2: 1.  In 2011, it was 3:1.  What an increase in women riders!
  • The two biggest teams are Canary Chicks with 27 riders (4 male riders!) and Team Lauren (in support of LPCH) with 24 riders.
  • A bake sale can raise a lot of money! Avaya The Power of WeTM team held a bake sale at their corporate headquarters during the lunch hour and raised $1,343 in 3 hours. More »

Canary Interview with Robert Lynch, CEO of Lumber Liquidators

August 6, 2012

Robert Lynch sits on the Board of Directors at Canary Foundation. He has been the President, Chief Executive Officer, and a Director of Lumber Liquidators since January 2012. In this interview, Rob tells us about the history of his involvement with Canary Foundation. 

Q: How and why did you get involved with Canary?

In 2005, I was the CEO of Orchard Supply Hardware, and I was invited to participate in the Canary Gala that was part of the San Jose Grand Prix. At that time, it was their main fundraiser. I was inspired by Canary’s strategy, mission, and vision—I was personally moved and immediately wanted to become involved.

At the time, Orchard Supply Hardware supported City of Hope through an annual golf tournament; each year we raised about half a million dollars for them. I wanted to get involved with a more local organization, because we were based in the Bay Area. I decided that I wanted use our annual golf fundraiser to support Canary instead of City of Hope.

I bumped into Don with his son at a basketball game the following year. I reintroduced myself to him and communicated I wanted the golfing fundraiser to support Canary instead of City of Hope. His eyes lit up. The rest is history: the fundraiser went to Canary, I joined the board, and I’ve been involved ever since.

Q: You mentioned that one of the reasons you got involved with Canary is because it was local, but now you’re with Lumber Liquidators on the East Coast. Why did you stick with Canary?

I’m still involved because I believe strongly in what they do. Ultimately, the attraction wasn’t so much that it was local in terms of physical location. I wanted to be involved in an organization that had a real community, a place where I could really roll up my sleeves and get involved. More »

How to Raise $400 in 5 Days

July 24, 2012

It’s 10 weeks until the Canary Challenge and you haven’t raised the $400 minimum.  You still have plenty of time but you have to get busy and start reaching out to your network.  Here’s an easy way to raise $400 in 5 days.  5 days!

Day 1:  Donate $50 to yourself.                                                                               $50

Day 2:  Ask your housemate/spouse/partner to donate $50                           $100

Day 3:  Ask two relatives to donate $50 each                                                    $200

Day 4:  Ask two friends to donate $50 each                                                       $300

Day 5 (Backup)Ask two neighbors/colleagues for $50 each             Total: $400

Top fundraisers have found letter writing campaigns very successful.  Write a letter or email friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors to let them know what you’re doing and ask them to donate to you.  Tell your story, why you are doing the Canary Challenge, where the money goes and why this is important to you.  Remember: always send a thank you note to your donors.