SEATTLE — Feb. 21, 2017 — Seattle Cancer Care Alliance partnered with Washington Aisles Alliance, a consortium of local grocery retailers, manufacturers, product representatives and distributors for an inaugural Game Changer fundraising event in January. More than 300 people attended the event, raising $360,750 for Fred Hutch, Seattle Children’s and UW Medicine through Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Leading this effort, the presidents of Safeway Albertsons, QFC and Fred Meyer collaborated in support of one unifying cause: local, world-class cancer research.
“We are excited to launch this new alliance and thrilled with this total for a first-year event because we know that it will advance the science of cancer treatments and help so many patients being treated by Seattle Cancer Care Alliance,” said Sara Osborne, event co-director of Safeway Albertsons. “Cancer is something that hits too close to home for many of us and it is both professionally and personally rewarding to help raise funds for these amazing organizations.”
This year’s event was the first collaboration between the two alliances, and has set the stage for even bigger events and greater impact in future years. Proceeds from the 2017 Game Changer event will support immunotherapy research at Fred Hutch, Seattle Children’s and UW Medicine, through the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. SCCA, together with its founding organizations, is the only National Cancer Institute–designated comprehensive cancer center in the Northwest—a distinction reserved for cancer centers with the most in-depth research programs. Founded in 1998, SCCA brings together the leading research teams and cancer specialists of Fred Hutch, Seattle Children's, and UW Medicine.
“There is strong sense of synergy when alliances collaborate that makes achieving a common goal all the more attainable,” said Norm Hubbard, executive vice president at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. “We are honored to partner with the Washington Aisles Alliance to support leading edge research to improve quality of life and treatment options for our patients and achieve remarkable outcomes in a way that is better together.”
The event provided opportunities for the grocery industry to connect with each other and with researchers, and learn about locally-based research and treatment breakthroughs. Funds raised will support immunotherapy, a suite of new treatment methods that harness the body’s own immune system to recognize and attack the disease. Immunotherapy is one of the most exciting and game-changing advances in cancer research in decades, and scientists at Fred Hutch, UW Medicine and Children’s are leading these efforts. Funds generated through the Game Changer event will help bridge funding gaps, ensuring that labs have the latest technologies and support recruitment of additional scientific experts. These contributions will ultimately speed the development of innovative treatment options for patients at UW Medical Center, Seattle Children’s and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, where a first-of-its-kind immunotherapy clinic opened in December.
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