BEVERLY, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On Sunday, May 20, 2018, the 5th Annual LUNGSTRONG 5K Race and 1.5 Mile Walk took place at the Cherry Hill Office Park in Beverly/Danvers, MA. Sponsored by Brookwood Financial Partners, LLC (“Brookwood”), over $85,000 was raised for the Mass General Thoracic Cancer Center.
LUNGSTRONG is a non-profit organization founded in 2011 by Diane Legg, a 13-year lung cancer survivor. It was created to provide unrestricted funding to cancer researchers, allowing them flexibility in pursuing potentially transformative treatments. Since 2013, it has raised over $2,800,000 in support of research at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the Mass General Cancer Center.
Jill O’Leary, a Vice President of Brookwood and a close personal friend of Diane’s, founded the LUNGSTRONG 5K Annual Race five years ago. “The first time that I met Diane, I was awed by her positivity and resiliency in the face of this disease and immediately wanted to do something to support her and her mission,” said Ms. O’Leary. “I have been overwhelmed by the ongoing success of the race and with how much it has grown in the last five years. I am extremely thankful to Brookwood, for none of this would have been possible without the amazing support of the company and my fellow colleagues at the firm,” continued Ms. O’Leary.
Over the last five years, this race has raised over $450,000 for the Mass General Cancer Center. “Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths, yet lung cancer research is the least funded relative to mortality rates,” Ms. O’Leary continued, “And, like Diane, sixty percent of those diagnosed with lung cancer either have never smoked or have not smoked for decades. Diane works tirelessly to de-stigmatize the disease and generate the much needed funding. Creating this very special day each year to help her Dana Farber was something I just knew I had to do.”
When Ms. O’Leary proposed the idea of sponsoring a race to benefit LUNGSTRONG to Brookwood’s Charitable Giving Committee in 2013, the company immediately agreed to support Jill and become a main sponsor of the event. More than 30 Brookwood employees and their families participated and volunteered in this year’s race. “We are honored to support this event and are proud of the hard work Jill has put into such an important cause,” stated Mr. Thomas Nicholas Trkla, Brookwood’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “There is something very special about employees coming together outside of work to support one another and the charities close to them.”
If you would like to donate to LUNGSTRONG, please visit www.lungstrong.com and follow the donation instructions. The event next year is scheduled for Sunday, May 19, 2019.
About Brookwood – Brookwood is a nationally-recognized private equity real estate investment firm that specializes in acquiring and managing value-add commercial real estate and other real estate-related operating businesses. Since its founding in 1993, Brookwood has invested over $995 million of equity to acquire a portfolio of 200 commercial real estate properties, seven operating companies, and 112 gas stations with convenience stores, with a total capitalization of over $2.5 billion. The portfolio has spanned multiple asset classes, geographical markets, and industries throughout the United States. www.brookwoodfinancial.com
