“It was such
a joy to see
hundreds of
families and
friends
gathered as
a community
to kick of
the summer
season in
the
Hamptons
in such a
beautiful
and
meaningful
way,” said
Mark Epley,
Mayor of the Village of Southampton. Mr. Epley served as the
Honorary
Commodore of
the event,
having lost
his father
to lung
cancer six
years ago.
“This is one
of the
highlights
of the year
and it’s
become a
beacon of
hope for
people who
have been
touched by
lung cancer.
It is a way
to remember
people lost
on Memorial
Day Weekend,
and to
celebrate
the start of
a fantastic
summer.”
For a $30
donation,
each flyer
received a
blank,
high-quality
white kite
which they
could
decorate
with their
artistic
designs, or
photos with
messages of
hope and
love for
those
suffering
with lung
cancer. A
variety of
decorating
materials in
every color
imaginable
were
provided at
beachfront
art
stations.
All proceeds
from “Kites
for a Cure”
will go to
Uniting
Against Lung
Cancer’s
research
grant
program.
Uniting
Against Lung
Cancer was
founded in
2001 in
memory of
Joan
Scarangello,
a
Southampton
resident and
non-smoker
who lost her
battle with
lung
cancer. In
just seven
years, the
foundation
has awarded
more than $7
million in
research
grants to
find a cure
for the
disease that
will claim
an estimated
160,000
lives in the
U.S. this year.
Lung cancer
will kill
more
Americans
this year
than
colon,
breast,
pancreatic
and prostate
cancers
combined,
and more
women than
breast,
uterine and
ovarian
cancers
combined.
Yet it
receives
less federal
research
funding per
death than
any of the
other major
cancers.
“Lung cancer
suffers from
the stigma
of smoking,
so very few
people talk
about the
disease or
rally for
change in
public,”
noted Linda
Wenger, the
foundation’s
Executive
Director.
“Kites for a
Cure gives
people a
chance to do
something
hopeful in
the face of
the
monumental
challenge of
lung cancer,
and to bring
their voices
together as
families
raising
awareness
about the
disease and
the
desperate
need for
research
funding. We
are thrilled
for the
amazing
turnout and
the
dedication
of our
guests.”
Uniting
Against Lung
Cancer, a
501 (c) (3)
tax-exempt
organization
headquartered
in
New York,
is the
single
largest
private
non-profit
source of
funding for
lung cancer
research in
the
United
States.
Increasingly
joined by
like-minded
organizations
and
families,
Uniting
Against Lung
Cancer is
recognized
for spurring
new and
innovative
research
projects –
ideas that
wouldn’t get
off the
ground
without the
seed funding
Uniting
Against Lung
Cancer
provides –
the
Foundation
has quickly
become
the
venture
capital
source for
important
research
into the
disease.