Curebound, a philanthropic organization dedicated to funding innovative cancer research, is hosting a wellness fundraiser event for those impacted by cancer on Saturday at UC San Diego’s RIMAC Field athletic complex.
Curebound is hosting the annual ‘Cancer Challenge’, involving a day of fun physical activities and early detection screenings.
The event, formerly known as Padres Pedal the Cause, is in its fifth year and has raised $24.5 million since its launch, uniting over 20,000 participants in survivorship and cancer prevention.
Curebound’s mission to “increase survivorship” means providing funding to cancer research teams and speeding up breakthroughs in prevention, detection and treatment.
CEO Robin Toft worked in the biotech industry for decades, but had to leave her career upon finding out she had colon cancer. Now, having survived cancer, Toft wants to give back to the research that saved her life.
According to Toft, the philanthropic organization invests in innovative cancer research involving the use of artificial intelligence and biotechnology.
“A single grant, placed at exactly the right moment, can be the difference between a brilliant idea stalling out and a breakthrough reaching the children who need it,” Toft said.
This year, Curebound will choose from 186 cancer study grants to invest in. In 2024, Curebound’s initial $250,000 investment in leukemia research helped grow to $8.6 million of external funding to support preventative work at UC San Diego and Rady Children’s Health.
At the event, groups or individuals have many activities to choose from: cycling along coastlines, running a 5K/10K, a children’s scavenger hunt and yoga. Attendees can celebrate loved ones and life through an ‘Honor Wall’ and ‘Survivor Bell.’
A spokesperson and leader for many years at the Curebound Cancer Challenge, Joseph Pangelinan, recently lost his battle with lung cancer, but his widow, Cindy, lives on to promote the legacy he left behind in supporting research.
“One of his last wishes for us was that we still continue to participate at Curebound with full force,” Pangelinan said.
Pangelinan will participate in the event’s activities with a team of 50 people, friends and family, called Joseph’s Lilypads, to honor her husband.
Curebound is “making so much progress,” Pangelinan said, “and we want to continue that momentum so it’s not a scary word when you hear cancer.”
To help accelerate research, Curebound provided a one-million-dollar donation to researcher Rebecca Rakow-Penner from UC San Diego’s Moores Cancer Center, who specializes in ovarian cancer research.
Rakow-Penner and her research team use non-invasive MRI techniques to detect cancer as small as the width of a pencil tip.
“I am proud to once again participate in the Curebound Cancer Challenge,” Rakow-Penner said.
Rakow-Penner will join 15 individuals from her research team in a group called “The Ovary Achievers” to wear hot pink T-shirts at the event.
Registration is open for the Aug. 1 event full of health-centered activities, music and remembrance.
Thousands in the community, Rakow-Penner said, will come together “to help ensure innovative research continues and more patients have the opportunity for longer, healthier lives.”
