March 13, 2009

Annual Purdue cancer benefit to make move to West Lafayette

The event, which formerly was held in Indianapolis, will take place 4-7 p.m. at the University Plaza Hotel, 3001 Northwestern Ave.

Purdue Musical Organizations and the Purdue Cancer Center are co-sponsoring the benefit. The event also will include a reception, drawings, speakers and a silent auction featuring items that include vacations in Hawaii and Jekyll Island, an island off the coast of southern Georgia. Gina Quattrocchi, former news anchor at WLFI-TV, will emcee the benefit.

One featured speaker at this year's benefit is Deborah Knapp. She is a researcher at the Purdue Cancer Center, co-director of Purdue's Comparative Oncology Program and the Dolores L. McCall Professor of Comparative Oncology in the School of Veterinary Medicine.

Maggie Kleinhenn, a Purduette alumna and cancer survivor, and Amanda Stansbury, a current Purduette and senior in the College of Consumer and Family Sciences, also will speak at the event, which will focus on bladder cancer awareness.

Proceeds from the benefit will go toward an endowed scholarship that benefits a PMO student and a student doing research at the Purdue Cancer Center. In the past five years, the annual benefit has raised more than $60,000.

A tax-deductible gift of $30 for the general public and $15 for students is requested to attend the concert, and business attire is appropriate. A cash bar also will be available.

Seating to the benefit is assigned. To make reservations, call Purdue Musical Organizations at (765) 494-3941 or (800) 893-3041.

The Purdue Cancer Center is one of just seven National Cancer Institute-designated basic-research facilities in the United States. The center attempts to help cancer patients by identifying new molecular targets and designing future agents and drugs for effectively detecting and treating cancer. The center also is affiliated with the Oncological Sciences Center located in Purdue's Discovery Park.

Writer: Christy Jones, (765) 494-1089, christyjones@purdue.edu

Source: Steve Schlenk, Purdue Musical Organizations director of operations, (765) 496-6091, sschlenk@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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