Walk, Golf and Gala Keep the Chris Elliott Fund Moving Forward as They Fund a Cure for Brain Cancer

SEATTLE, WA, August 25, 2010 (Press-News.org) The 3rd Annual Seattle Brain Cancer Walk was a stellar one this year, as over 2000 people participated and gave their time to help fund a cure for brain cancer. One of those teams truly made a difference as they raised over $36,000 dollars in hopes of funding their Chris Elliott Fund Integrative Patient Support Program at the Ben & Catherine Ivy Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment at the Swedish Neuroscience Center in Seattle. As an official Walk Partner who put in countless hours behind the scenes to ensure the success of this event, the Chris Elliott Fund, better known at the Walk as Team CEF, won second in overall fundraising efforts this year as they paid for nearly half of their annual program costs as their funds went directly to The Ivy Center. They will donate over $300,000 dollars over the next five years and this donation will go directly to the Chris Elliott Integrative Patient Support Program at The Ivy Center. Jean Smart, (3 time Emmy Award winning actress) joined Team CEF after losing her sister to brain cancer last January. Jean spoke on stage, and let everyone know that "this disease must come out of the shadows and into the light, and more money is needed for research. We simply can't do it alone."

The Walk closed that afternoon on June 26, 2010, and exactly one month later, the Chris Elliott Fund (CEF) kicked off their 9th Annual Celebrity Golf Classic at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge in which 18 plus celebrities and athletes came together to help raise funds for brain cancer research. Tom Parks (Comedy Central) hosted the $10,000 dollar putting contest while other celebs such as Stephanie Zimbalist (Remmington Steele) and past head coach Don James (Huskies Hall of Fame) gave it their all as they golfed all 18 holes and came back for the BBQ and award ceremony. Several teams were so moved by the overall event-- one in particular came on stage during the award ceremony, and gave a $7,500.00 dollar donation on behalf of their friend Art Saunders, who also golfed that day, and is currently undergoing brain cancer treatment. "The turnout was amazing this year, and we couldn't have raised over $20,000 dollars for brain cancer research without the help of everyone who showed up today and gave their all to ensure we had something to give back and uphold our mission: to end brain cancer through education, awareness, advocacy and research." (Dellann Elliott, President & CEO, Chris Elliott Fund)

During an economic downturn, CEF is on a mission to end brain cancer, and thus far they are two for two, and have raised over $50,000 dollars towards brain cancer research. This is an incredible feat considering this local non-profit relies solely on volunteers to get the job done. CEF is now gearing up for their 9th Annual Gray Ribbon Gala & Benefit Auction, taking place at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue Grand Ballroom on September 25, 2010. This is CEF's marquee event in which they hope to raise over $100,000 dollars to support the Chris Elliott Fund Integrative Patient Support Program, and to fund the Christopher S. Elliott Neuro-Oncology Laboratory at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Local celebrities John Curley and Jim Dever of Evening Magazine will be the host auctioneers of the evening, and once again Jean Smart will attend and offer up her fur coat for auction as she helps CEF reach their 100,000 dollar goal. The evening should be a memorable one as CEF shows video highlights of why we need to build awareness for this disease, as we are all convinced that the statistics of diagnosis for brain cancer are certainly much higher than the research stats tout that are currently available online. Kathy Goertzen , Katie Barrows, and John Barrows (brain cancer survivor) of Microsoft will all be featured in this touching video about fear, hope, awareness and change. Brain cancer patients and their caregivers come together to speak about this disease, about advanced brain tumor treatment, genetic testing of the live tumor prior to surgery, and what is needed to overcome the obstacles and survive.

The Chris Elliott Fund has had a stellar year, and it's not over yet, as they continue to fund cutting edge research, and continue to fight the battle for everyone inflicted with this disease. At the end of the day, CEF can look back and give over $150,000 dollars towards their programs, brain cancer research, and to help patients and others move forward and get the treatment they deserve. Not bad for a local non-profit, who has no employees on their roster, but gets by with passion, perseverance and volunteers who make it happen day in and day out. It just goes to show you, that even one person can make a difference in the fight against brain cancer, and in this case Dellann Elliott, President & CEO of the Chris Elliott Fund, has truly shown that one person can truly make a big difference.
To sign up for the 9th annual Gray Ribbon Gala & Benefit Auction, please go to www.chriselliottfund.org and under the events tab click on Gala and look for the register now button. It's up to all of us to end brain cancer.

About the Chris Elliott Fund for Glioblastoma Brain Cancer Research

The Chris Elliott Fund for Glioblastoma Brain Cancer Research (CEF) is a non-profit organization that raises funds specifically aimed at ending brain cancer through education, awareness, advocacy and research. CEF has raised more than $1 million for brain cancer research across the country and provides countless resources, information and support to people living with the disease. CEF funds groundbreaking research in the Christopher S. Elliott Neuro-oncology Lab for Glioblastoma Brain Research and Applied Science Center at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. The organization has developed and is currently funding the Chris Elliott Fund Integrative Patient Support Program at the Ben and Catherine Ivy Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment in Seattle's Swedish Neuroscience Institute. CEF's Patient Outreach and Advocacy Committee provides education and awareness for patients and physicians nationwide.

About Brain Cancer

Brain cancer is the most malignant form of cancer known to humankind with an average survival rate of two years. It is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children under the age of 20. Each year, 8 of every 100,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with primary malignant brain tumors. Approximately 20,000 Americans die each year from this disease. Unlike some other cancers brain tumors do not discriminate against gender, ethnicity, age, overall fitness, or socioeconomic status. Over five hundred terminal cases of brain cancer will be diagnosed in the Seattle-Metro area alone this year.

Chris Elliott Fund CEO-- Dellann Elliott

Dellann Elliott co-founded the Chris Elliott Fund for Glioblastoma Research shortly before her husband's death (Chris Elliott) in June of 2002. She is a skilled public advocate, attending hearings in Washington, D.C., educating doctors/patients through multimedia educational campaigns while driving the research community to collaborate care at all junctures. Dellann has been honored by Harvard University as a National Glioblastoma Patient Advocate, and is also the recipient of the "Spirit of Sammamish" Award for 2009--an award in which the city and its citizens acknowledge "Magnificent Moments of Inspiration". Dellann Elliott, a mother of two children, is also a Rotary Club Board Member, and a member of the following organizations:, American Association for Cancer Research, Executive Association of Non-Profits, as well as a Sammamish Chamber of Commerce Member. Prior to creating the Chris Elliott Fund, she served as an environmental regulator and as an early childhood educator at a local Washington state elementary school, specializing in educating children inflicted with Down Syndrome.

Website: www.chriselliottfund.org
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/endbraincancer
Twitter: http://twitter.com/EndBrainCancer

The Chris Elliott Fund for Glioblastoma Brain Cancer Research (CEF) is a non-profit organization that raises funds specifically aimed at ending brain cancer through education, awareness, advocacy and research. CEF has raised more than $1 million for brain cancer research across the country and provides countless resources, information and support to people living with the disease. CEF funds groundbreaking research in the Christopher S. Elliott Neuro-oncology Lab for Glioblastoma Brain Research and Applied Science Center at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. The organization has developed and is currently funding the Chris Elliott Fund Integrative Patient Support Program at the Ben and Catherine Ivy Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment in Seattle's Swedish Neuroscience Institute. CEF's Patient Outreach and Advocacy Committee provides education and awareness for patients and physicians nationwide.
www.chriselliottfund.org