DETROIT – The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute’s 30th Annual Dinner held Saturday raised nearly $1.7 million to benefit Karmanos’ exceptional cancer care, making this the most successful Annual Dinner in Karmanos’ history.
More than 500 supporters participated in the dinner, held at the General Motors Vehicle Engineering Center in Warren. Proceeds will support a new Intensive Care Unit at the Karmanos Cancer Center, scheduled to open by October 1.
Mary Barra, senior vice president, Global Product Development, General Motors Co.; and her husband Tony Barra, president, Filament Consulting, served as chairs for the Annual Dinner. Chevrolet was the host sponsor for the event t, and provided live auction items for the dinner, including a one-of-a-kind, custom 2012 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Coupe
“The Karmanos Cancer Institute does an extraordinary job not only in caring for those with cancer, but also in working to find a cure,” Barra said. “We are fortunate to have Karmanos in our community, and we are proud to support it.”
The annual dinner raised nearly $1.4 million prior to the April 28 event, thanks to the generosity of General Motors, Chevrolet, and several other sponsors and supporters. This includes the General Motors Foundation’s generous donation of $400,000. In addition, $150,000 was raised from the Barrett-Jackson Auction of the 45th Anniversary Chevrolet Camaro Convertible, VIN 001, which was donated by Chevrolet and auctioned earlier this month in West Palm Beach, Florida.
General Motor’s and the General Motors Foundation’s support for cancer research, brings GM’s total contribution to the Karmanos Cancer Institute to nearly $6 million over the past 15 years.
“More than 1.6 million new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed this year, and it is a disease that has affected all of us in one way or another. The research and care that the Karmanos Cancer Institute, one of the leading cancer centers in the United States, provides to thousands of patients and their families is immeasurable, said Vivian Pickard, president of the GM Foundation. “The GM Foundation is a dedicated supporter of the state-of-the-art cancer research being done by Karmanos here in Detroit.”
