TORONTO – More than CAD $119 million has been pledged so far in connection with Friday’s Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) fundraising telecast in Canada and the U.S., organizers said Sunday.
The $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, known as Dream Teams, as well as education and awareness programs conducted in Canada.
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 this fall and the first Dream Teams will be announced and begin their work in next summer.
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.
In addition, a Canada-inclusive co-broadcast of the telecast aired simultaneously on CBC, City, CTV and Global, along with AMI, CHCH, CHEK, Fight Network, Gusto TV, Hollywood Suite and TLN. The telecast also streamed live and remains available on Yahoo 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.
