Over $14.3 million has been raised in year 10 for VeloSano, Cleveland Clinic’s year-round fundraising movement for cancer research. This record-high milestone was made possible by the cumulative strength and dedication of the VeloSano community, which includes participants in the annual Bike to Cure ride, virtual fundraisers, partners, Trike & Bike junior riders, volunteers, researchers and donors.
The total amount was announced today in a video celebrating the results for VeloSano 10 and a decade of funding for cancer research at Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland Clinic Children’s. Since its inception in 2014, more than $51 million has been raised for VeloSano, which over ten years has grown from one weekend event to a year-round movement. To view the video, click here.
“According to the American Cancer Society, the cancer death rate in the United States has decreased by 33% since 1991, which is about 3.8 million lives saved,” said Alex A. Adjei, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of Cleveland Clinic Cancer Institute. “Cancer research has played an important role in the decline, and the support we receive through VeloSano enables Cleveland Clinic to expand our work to eliminate death and suffering from cancer.”
Cancer researchers throughout Cleveland Clinic apply for funds raised for VeloSano, with the money being awarded to research proposals with the greatest promise. Thus far, VeloSano has supported more than 220 cancer research projects. Those projects often go on to earn research grants from the National Institutes of Health and other entities. The total return from additional, outside funding now surpasses $85 million, making the total impact of VeloSano more than $136 million.
VeloSano has gained significant momentum in raising money for cancer research at Cleveland Clinic due to the support of its partners, including but not limited to: Founding Partners the Cleveland Guardians and the Kohl Fund; Supporting Partners Adcom, Jones Day and Lexus; and Contributing Partners Amgen, AstraZeneca, Gilead, GSK, Global Prairie, House of LaRose/Michelob Ultra, KeyBank, The Lerner Foundation, Novartis, and TransDigm Group.
“I’m overjoyed by the outpouring of support generated as we blew past our goals this year,” said Stewart Kohl, founder of VeloSano and Co-CEO of The Riverside Company. “At just a decade old, this already powerful movement keeps growing as we fund groundbreaking cancer research that’s finding cures and extending lives. VeloSano is tens of thousands of people strong, comprised of passionate riders, volunteers, donors and staff funding the incredible work of our dedicated research teams. I’m delighted to see our vision for VeloSano become such a powerful force for good.”
Next year’s flagship fundraising event for VeloSano, Bike to Cure, will be held on Sept. 6-7, and registration information will be available on velosano.org in early 2024. To learn more about the various ways to get involved in VeloSano year-round visit velosano.org/get-involved.
To read about projects funded by VeloSano visit impact.velosano.org.