UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Coaches vs. Cancer-Penn State presented a check for $35,553.42 to the Bob Perks Fund in December representing the fourth-straight year the organization has presented an annual grant in excess of $35,000 to the local charity established in honor of one of the original founders of CVC-Penn State.
"We are thrilled that Coaches vs. Cancer continues to be able to keep a portion of the money raised with the support of our local sponsors and community right here in the Centre Region," said CVC-Penn State committee co-director Kent Wible. "It is a core piece of our foundation and it is amazing the impact that direct and immediate assistance with things like bills and transportation can have on individuals and families battling cancer."
CVC-Penn State has donated a total of more than $190,000 to the Bob Perks Fund, now in its sixth year providing assistance in the Centre Region.
"Coaches vs. Cancer has been a key contributor in helping us to be able to provide direct assistance in the community," said Doreen Perks, president of the Bob Perks Fund. "Demand for our support increases every year as more people are diagnosed with cancer than ever before and more and more people are finding out about the kinds of support we can offer."
The Bob Perks Fund (BPF) provides direct assistance to individuals and families affected by cancer in Centre, Blair, Clearfield and Huntingdon counties. BPF’s goal is to provide financial assistance for basic necessities which cancer patients and their families cannot afford temporarily due to their illness. BPF provides financial assistance with household bills (i.e. utilities, rent, car payments or repairs), gift cards for groceries and gas, and out of town lodging required for medical care. In 2011, the Bob Perks Fund approved 140 applications to families in the Centre region allocating over $140,000. With CVC-Penn State support, BPF has been able to distribute more than $450,000, with more than 40 percent of those dollars supplied by CVC-Penn State grants.
Bob Perks was a State College native who graduated from State College High School and earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees from Penn State University. A four-year member of the Nittany Lion baseball team, Perks was devoted to helping cancer patients long before facing his own challenges with the disease. He was a founding member of Coaches vs. Cancer-Penn State and remained active with the organization until his own battle with cancer prevented him from doing so. To apply for assistance from the Bob Perks Fund or volunteer, please visit: www.bobperkscancerassistancefund.org, or call 814-231-2692.
Coaches vs. Cancer-Penn State has grown from an annual golf tournament started in the summer of 1996 to a year-round schedule of events, which includes the Spikes Fest, CVC 5k Fun Run/Walk, the Coaches Vs. Cancer Celebrity Golf Tournament, Brewer’s Expo, the CVC Reverse Car Drawing, Bestwick Foundation Bike For Life and CVC "Band Together" Day (Feb. 11 vs. Nebraska). CVC-Penn State ranked as the sixth highest fundraiser among Coaches vs. Cancer organizations nationally in 2011 and has raised more than $1.7 million since its inception in 1996.
Much of CVC-Penn State funds are donated directly to the American Cancer Society, the largest non-profit funder of cancer research with over $30 million in research taking place in Pennsylvania each year, including three research grants totaling over $2.1 million at Penn State University. Some of the money raised also goes directly to assist those affected by the disease in the Centre Region through the Bob Perks Fund (BPF).
To get involved as a sponsor or participant in Coaches vs. Cancer-Penn State please visit CVCPENNSTATE.ORG or call 814-330-3337.