Katie Couric, one of broadcasting’s most respected and popular journalists, will be the keynote speaker for a fund-raising luncheon, "Partners for Life," to benefit cancer research at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center on July 14.
The 12:30-2 p.m. event will be held at the Cancer Center on UCSD’s La Jolla Medical Center Campus off of Campus Point Drive.
The event is co-sponsored by KFMB-TV and CBS News, which is hosting Couric’s visit to San Diego. In September, Couric will go on the air as anchor and managing editor of the "CBS Evening News with Katie Couric." With the appointment, she becomes the first female solo anchor of a network evening news broadcast. She will also contribute to "60 Minutes" and will anchor CBS News primetime specials.
Couric, who lost her husband to colon cancer and her sister to pancreatic cancer, has made a personal commitment to end the threat of cancer and to foster cancer research. She is credited with creating a 20 percent increase in the number of colonoscopies performed nationwide following her on-air colonoscopy, done to reduce the public’s fear of this potentially lifesaving procedure. Her efforts have generated millions of dollars for research.
Couric requested an opportunity to make a contribution to San Diego research by hosting a local event during her visit. KFMB-TV and the Moores UCSD Cancer Center have a long-standing partnership called "Buddies for Life" which supports outreach, education and prevention efforts for breast cancer. Couric’s visit will build on this theme as a "Partners for Life" benefit supporting all areas of cancer research.
Tickets for the luncheon are $150 each; tables for 10 are available at $1,500/table for general seating and $3,000/table for preferred seating. A portion of the ticket price is tax deductible.
In a personal note penned for the invitation, Couric wrote:
As many of you may know, cancer has touched me personally with the loss of my husband to colon cancer and my sister to pancreatic cancer. I have made a commitment to do whatever I can to increase awareness, and raise research dollars to help scientists develop treatments that will enable more people to live with cancer and, ultimately, lead to the eradication of this disease. Please join me along with KFMB-TV and CBS News to support the important work of the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego, where medical researchers are working side-by-side with physicians to bring new discoveries and new hope to patients.
TO THE MEDIA: Journalists interested in covering this event are asked to submit their names BY JULY 5 to Leslie Franz, lfranz@ucsd.edu, in order to arrange for press credentials and to ensure appropriate accommodations for the media. Call 619-543-6163 with any questions.