Brookwood to support "The Race for Hope Philadelphia": Event to raise funds for brain tumor research

Brookwood is a proud supporter of The Race for Hope Philadelphia. Jacquie Beck, Senior VP of eLearning at Brookwood, has been named "Team Captain of the Week" for this important event which takes place November 1, 2009. Now in its fourth year, the Race has grown to more than 5,000 people, a 333% increase from year one, and a 275% increase in fundraising since 2006 has allowed the Race to contribute over $1,000,000 to fund innovative research for brain tumor treatments and support services for brain tumor patients and their families.

Jacquie formed Team Andress in support of her close friend, Debbie Andress, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor on August 29, 2008. Through Debbie's connections at Penn State, Team Andress grew to more than 500 participants in 2008. "I had great support from the Penn State Lacrosse and Penn State Field Hockey teams along with Debbie's long-time friends who played with her at Penn State," said Ms. Beck. "Their enthusiasm around this event is one of the reasons that our numbers are so great! This is a remarkable example of our community rising to support a person who has spent her life giving so much." To commemorate Debbie's contribution to lacrosse, Team Andress will run the race with lacrosse sticks in honor of the sport that she has taken to a new level in the state of Pennsylvania. Last year, Team Andress was the largest team in the country with almost 700 runners, walkers and donors; they were also the largest fundraising team for all Brain Tumor 5K Runs throughout the country.

Brookwood would like to encourage everyone who participated in 2008 to recruit at least one new member this year, with the hopes of doubling the size of the team. Keep an eye out for the sea of blue and white shirts when Team Andress gathers at the 2009 Race for Hope Philadelphia!