March 15, 2022 – For the fourth straight year, two of South Florida’s most prominent organizations – the Miami HEAT and Baptist Health – have teamed up to help raise funds for Baptist Health’s Miami Cancer Institute. The partnership’s key initiative, HEAT. HELP. CURE., held its third annual Bounce Back from CancerTM event on Sunday, March 13. Miami HEAT team captain Udonis Haslem – aka UD – served as the event’s celebrity ambassador and social media influencer. He was on hand to cheer on participants at the FTX Arena finish line and lead the post-dribble celebration.
The event brought together more than 3,100 unique donors, including cancer survivors and their supporters, leaders and staff from the Miami HEAT and Miami Cancer Institute, sports fans and community members to help fulfill the Institute’s vision of a world without cancer. Together participants raised more than $1.39 million to support groundbreaking cancer research and clinical trials at Miami Cancer Institute. Fundraising will continue until April 15, 2022.
“The level of support for HEAT. HELP. CURE. and Bounce Back from CancerTM has been nothing short of extraordinary,” said Baptist Health’s Executive VP and Chief Administrative Officer Joe Natoli. “We are thrilled that this grassroots effort has been growing year over year, engaging so many whose lives have been affected by this devastating disease.”
Participants in Bounce Back from CancerTM had three fundraising options:
- Bounce BackTM – Dribbling a basketball or walking 2 miles
- Bounce BackTM Challenge – Dribbling a basketball or walking 14.2 miles
- Benchwarmer – fundraising for the cause
Registered participants received a “swag bag” with items from the Miami HEAT and other corporate partners, as well as a Baptist Health signature “Pineapple” basketball. Participants in the 14.2 mile challenge received a basketball autographed by Udonis Haslem, as well as a photo opportunity with him or HEAT legends Alonzo Mourning and Glen Rice.
Miami Cancer Institute, which opened in 2017, cares for an average of 1,200 patients each day. The Institute provides unparalleled expertise in individual cancers, and access to the world’s latest cancer discoveries, most effective treatments and best outcomes – all right here in South Florida.
“At Miami Cancer Institute, we’re inspired by the support of the Miami HEAT and those who have literally gone the distance to raise critical funds for research,” said the Institute’s CEO and Executive Medical Director Michael Zinner, M.D. “Every dollar raised through Bounce Back from CancerTM will help further the work we’re doing and save lives.”
“The Miami HEAT organization is a proud to join forces with Baptist Health and Miami Cancer Institute,’ said EVP and Chief Commercial Officer for The HEAT Group John Vidalin. “We hope that the success of HEAT. HELP. CURE. and Bounce Back from CancerTM will motivate others in South Florida to get involved, and get us closer to a cure.”
In addition to the Miami HEAT, sponsors for Bounce Back from CancerTM included FTX US; S&K Worldwide Realty / Terra; ServiceNow; Adelanto HealthCare Ventures, L.L.C.; AT&T; Berkowitz Pollack & Brandt Advisors + CPAs; Florida Blue; Florida Power & Light Company; RepublicaHavas and Team FootWorks.
About Miami Cancer Institute
Miami Cancer Institute brings to South Florida access to personalized clinical treatments and comprehensive support services delivered with unparalleled compassion. No other cancer program in the region has the combination of cancer-fighting expertise and advanced technology—including the first proton therapy center in South Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean, and one of the only radiation oncology programs in the world with each of the newest radiation therapies in one place—to diagnose and deliver precise cancer treatments that achieve the best outcomes and improve the lives of cancer patients. The Institute offers an impressive roster of established community oncologists and renowned experts, clinical researchers and genomic scientists recruited from the nation’s top cancer centers. Selected as Florida’s only member of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer (MSK) Alliance, Miami Cancer Institute is part of a meaningful clinical collaboration that affords patients in South Florida access to innovative treatments and ensures that the standards of care developed by their multidisciplinary disease management teams match those at MSK.
Miami Cancer Institute is part of Baptist Health South Florida, the largest healthcare organization in the region, with 12 hospitals, more than 24,000 employees, 4,000 physicians and 100 outpatient centers, urgent care facilities and physician practices spanning across Miami-Dade, Monroe, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Baptist Health has internationally renowned centers of excellence in cancer, cardiovascular care, orthopedics and sports medicine, and neurosciences. In addition, it includes Baptist Health Medical Group; Baptist Health Quality Network; and Baptist Health Care On Demand, a virtual health platform. A not-for-profit organization supported by philanthropy and committed to its faith-based charitable mission of medical excellence, Baptist Health has been recognized by Fortune as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America and by Ethisphere as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies.
For more information, visit BaptistHealth.net/Newsroom and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
About The HEAT Group
The HEAT Group is comprised of the National Basketball Association’s Miami HEAT and the 19,600-seat FTX Arena. The HEAT is a three-time NBA Champion having won titles in 2006, 2012 and 2013 and is a celebrated leader in every discipline of the business of basketball. FTX Arena, home of the HEAT, is a LEED Gold Recertified, award-winning, state-of-the-art facility, which hosts more than 150 events per year. FTX Arena has maintained its position as the #1 Arena in Florida for the seventh consecutive year—and the 10th time during the past 11 years—according to 2021 year-end rankings of the world’s top arenas conducted by both Pollstar and Billboard. The Arena ranks 10th in the United States and 10th in the world for Billboard and 13th in the United States and 15th worldwide for Pollstar. The Arena is located on the waterfront in the thriving arts and entertainment district in downtown Miami.For more information, please visit HEAT.com and FTX Arena.com.
