Paceline officials plan to expand their fundraising efforts in 2025 by adding more to the annual PaceDay event.
Scheduled for Oct. 5, PaceDay will feature walk, run and ride options enabling a broader public engagement of its mission to end cancer, according to a Feb. 14 news release.
Walkers, runners and riders will all come together for a Finish Line Festival at the Augusta Common, celebrating fundraising efforts as the community face of the Georgia Cancer Center, the release said. With Hurricane Helene canceling PaceDay 2024, Paceline used the time to survey its supporters with a goal of making 2025 a true ‘comeback year.”
“By expanding our main event format into walk, run and ride, we have an opportunity to accelerate support from both existing and new audiences in Augusta and beyond, including corporate teams and our partner institution Augusta University,” said Martyn Jones, Paceline president.
Now in its seventh year, Paceline, an affiliate non-profit of The Medical College of Georgia Foundation, continues to make tangible progress in the fight against cancer benefiting Georgia and beyond, the release continued.
“The event operations required to deliver this new format are substantial and made possible thanks to our founding partners, Medical College of Georgia Foundation – it is their support that enables 100% of all participant-raised funds to be invested in innovative cancer research at the Georgia Cancer Center.” Jones said.
Since 2019, 26 community-funded innovative cancer research projects have been made possible through Paceline grants, with an emphasis on both early career faculty and high impact community research projects. This pipeline of innovative cancer research has already generated $9.2 million of prestigious grants from National Institutes of Health (NIH) bringing significant investment to Georgia’s only public cancer center, part of Augusta University and WellStar MCG Health. In addition, the NIH estimates this investment will generate over $24 million of economic impact for our region.
Paceline has raised almost $1.7 million since 2019 for innovative cancer research and is on the road to $2 million this year.
“We are proud to invest in Paceline with its mission to end cancer. The way Paceline carries out this mission is two-fold. Firstly, it generates investment for grassroots cancer research through its own community of participants, partners and volunteers,” said Ian Mercier, CEO Medical College of Georgia Foundation. “Through actively participating in Paceline’s year-round movement, this broad community of individuals, organizations and corporate teams collectively represent the community face of the Georgia Cancer Center. It is the combination of community-funded research leading to NIH grants, through annual activities like PaceDay, that positively affect the Georgia Cancer Center’s pathway to National Cancer Institute designation.”
he mission of the Medical College of Georgia Foundation is to improve the quality of life of the people of Georgia, the nation and the world by supporting the advancement of education, research and patient care at the Medical College of Georgia.
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