NEW ORLEANS – Hooters of Louisiana recently raised $50K in support of the Ochsner Cancer Institute. These funds will be used to research new and innovative breast cancer treatments, Ochsner reps said. The Dec. 20, 2016, donation comes as part of Hooters’ Give A Hoot fundraising program, designed to raise funds for breast cancer research.
The 2016 Give A Hoot fundraising effort benefits the Kelly Jo Dowd Breast Cancer Research Fund and other local beneficiaries. This fund was developed in honor of the late Kelly Jo Dowd, a former Hooters employee whose life was claimed by breast cancer. Hooters has raised nearly $4 million over the years to support breast cancer research, much of it through the grant in Dowd’s name to The V Foundation for Cancer Research, one of the nation’s leading cancer research funding organizations.
In October, Ochsner Health System was awarded a V Foundation-designated grant to create educational materials to increase awareness for the benefits of cancer clinical trials to minority populations. Designated grants are inspired by particular areas of scientific interest and/ or geographic reach and are selected on the basis of scientific merit determined by the V Foundation’s scientific advisors.
The V Foundation for Cancer Research was founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano. Since 1993, the Foundation has funded more than $150 million in cancer research grants nationwide. It awards 100 percent of all direct cash donations to cancer research and related programs. The Foundation awards peer-reviewed grants through a competitive awards process vetted by a world-renowned Scientific Advisory Committee.
Ochsner Cancer Institute provides multidisciplinary care for adult and pediatric cancer patients. These patients benefit from a collaborative approach to cancer care by a highly skilled team of physicians, oncology nurses, social workers, researchers and other healthcare professionals. Ochsner is currently ranked in the top 10 percent in the nation for cancer care by CareChex and has been recognized as High Performing in Cancer Care by U.S. News & World Report.
