Philanthropy Today:Jake Gittlen Memorial Golf Tournament 2013

The Jake Gittlen Memorial Golf Tournament will be held this week from August 14-18 at the Hershey Country Club,Pennsylvania.The tournament began in 1965 as the Blue Ridge Invitational,founded by Jake Gittlen to bring together the Blue Ridge Country Club and public course golfers.When he died of cancer in May 1970,it was renamed in Gittlen's honor by the country club.His son Warren,who had been a Penn State golf team captain,transformed the tournament into a fundraiser for cancer research at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center in his father's memory.*The first Jake Gittlen Memorial was held in September 1970 with 50 players.It was moved to the Hershey Country Club in 1996.Funds raised contributed to the development of the first anti-cancer vaccine,Gardisil,which helps prevent cervical and other cancers.*The tournament has grown from raising 2,500 dollars in 1970 to 850,000 in 2012,for a total of 15,840,000 to date.It is the nation's largest amateur golf fundraiser,with major support from Giant Food Stores.Other corporate sponsors include ABC27;AFLAC;Highmark Blue Shield;Merrill Lynch;Northwestern Mutual;Pepsi;Sysco;Sprint;T-Mobile;and Wells Fargo Advisors,LLC.

A Community Involved:The Jake Gittlen Cancer Research Foundation

The 43d annual Jake Gittlen Memorial Golf Tournament will be this Saturday and Sunday at the Hershey Country Club.The tournament was started in 1970 by Warren Gittlen as a tribute to his late father Jake,who died of cancer that year.The fundraising event supports the Jake Gittlen Cancer Research Foundation at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center,a world class laboratory that was instrumental in the development of the Gardasil(R) vaccine that prevents human papillomavirus,the leading cause of cervical cancer and also linked to head and neck cancer.The vaccine was initially for young women only,but it is now recommended for boys as well.
Brixton Albert,a native of Lititz,PA,is the defending champion in this important event on the region's golf calendar.Giant Food Stores is again supporting the tournament and the Foundation,along with vendor partners such as PepsiCo;General Mills;Kellogg's;Nestle;and Kimberly-Clark.Shopping at Giant Food Stores and purchasing vendor products supports the Foundation.The food retailer is part of Amsterdam-based Koninklijke Ahold AV.Giant has raised more than 5 million dollars for the Foundation since 1982,and is its main source of funding.
The research lab is currently working on such things as vaccine development,early cancer detection and finding new cancer therapies.
Hershey Country Club is located at 1000 East Derry Road,Hershey PA 17033.
Koninklijke Ahold NV(AHOMY)

From Thousands To Millions:The Jake Gittlen Cancer Research Foundation

The Jake Gittlen Cancer Research Foundation has grown fron raising 2500 dollars to a total well into the millions.Founded by Warren Gittlen as a memorial golf tournament to honor his father,who had died of cancer in 1970,the foundation funds oncology research at Penn State's Hershey Medical Center.It strives to recruit the top 10% of researchers,continuing to derive income from the golf tournament,the largest fund-raising amateur golf tournamnet in the U.S.It also receives funding from corporate sponsors-especially Giant Food Stores,which has donated over 5.4 million dollars over 28 years.Other sponsors include Giant vendors such as PepsiCo,Procter&Gamble,Clorox and Kraft Foods.
The foundation has raised more than 14 million to date.Its funds have been used to develop techniques and materials used in production of HPV vaccines such as Merck's Gardasil,a major preventitive of cervical cancer.This year,Gittlen Cancer Awareness Bracelets may be purchased for 10.00.The colorful beaded bracelets are handmade and show your support for cancer research,and all of the proceeds go to the Jake Gittlen Cancer Research Foundation.The bracelets may be purchased by emailing asgwmg@verizon.net.
Giant Food Stores operates hundreds of supermarkets in the Mid-Atlantic region.It is a brand of Dutch retailer Ahold.
Ahold(AHONY),Merck(MRK)