By KRWG News
Las Cruces – Cowboys for Cancer Research Inc. announced Thursday, April 21, a commitment to establish a $1.5 million endowment through the New Mexico State University Foundation to fund cancer research. An initial gift of $275,000 will launch the endowment with a plan to add funding each year until the principal value reaches $1.5 million.
Also at the announcement, members of the Aggies Are Tough Enough to Wear Pink Committee, who annually lead a fundraising drive for Cowboys for Cancer Research, announced that they will once again commemorate "Pink Month" in October including the Aggies' "Pink Football Game" Oct. 15 against Idaho.
"I am pleased to have this opportunity to publicly thank the members of the Cowboys for Cancer Research team for their years of dedication to a cause that is important to all of us," said NMSU President Barbara Couture.
Couture said NMSU has played a role in cancer research for many years including the important work of NMSU chemistry professor, Jeffrey Arterburn, who has been a research partner with the University of New Mexico Cancer Center for more than 10 years.
"Our faculty are tirelessly seeking new knowledge that we know will one day lead to a cure. Now the Cowboys for Cancer Research team has committed funds from their many fundraising events to establish a new permanent endowment at New Mexico State that will encourage additional research efforts and programs aimed at gaining a better understanding of this complex disease," Couture said.
Kevin Davis, president of Cowboys for Cancer Research Inc., said when the Aggies Are Tough Enough To Wear Pink fundraising initiative began in 2007, no one dreamed that the entire Las Cruces and New Mexico State community would become so actively involved.
"The impact of the funds generated from efforts by the 'Pink Ladies' prompted Cowboys for Cancer Research to explore ways to create a permanent endowment at NMSU," Davis said.
NMSU Board of Regents Chair Laura Conniff, who spoke on behalf of the "Pink Team," said, "We are pleased to partner with the Cowboys for Cancer Research team because their commitment to fighting cancer grows from the same personal experience that drives each of us. We are the lucky ones - the ones able to talk to you about surviving cancer. We want that same opportunity for everyone and research is the key to that ultimate success."