SAN ANTONIO (Nov. 25, 2009) — The Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is honoring Vulcan Materials Co. for 16 years of employee-organized events that raise funds for cancer research and care.
A sixth-floor reception area for CTRC patients is now named for the Vulcan Materials, Southwest Division.
Proceeds from the Vulcan Materials Funshoot, held annually since 1994, this year reached the $1.5 million mark, announced William L. Henrich, M.D., president of the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, at a ceremony Nov. 20 that unveiled the commemorative sign.
“When you’re all out there having a great time making those clay pigeons bite the dust, you are responsible for saving lives,” CTRC Executive Director Ian M. Thompson, M.D., told Vulcan Materials employees and guests.
Longtime Vulcan employee Thomas A. McFadden spoke with emotion about a time in 2004 when “I spent six months in this building having my life saved because of the CTRC.”
McFadden, procurement leader for the Southwest Division, was treated for head and neck cancer and now, five years later, is considered cancer-free. “A lot of love and sharing has helped develop the Vulcan Funshoot into the great success that it has become,” he remarked before the dedication.
The 16th annual sporting-clay shooting competition, held Sept. 12, 2009, at the National Shooting Complex, raised more than $147,000, bringing the historical total to $1.5 million.
About 400 people attended the 2009 Vulcan Materials Funshoot, which was organized entirely by Vulcan employees and their family members. This year employees initiated a couple of add-on events. Several employees spent their lunch hours making a quilt that brought $500 at the live auction that featured dozens of prizes that employees solicited from donors. At another new event, a FunHike on Aug. 29, 17 employees walked five miles to raise more than $4,000.
Vulcan Materials, Southwest Division established the Funshoot to assist CTRC, the region’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Cancer Center, in its mission to conquer cancer through research, prevention and treatment. This year’s event fielded 70 teams, with team sponsorships starting at $1,000, and 100 percent of the net proceeds benefiting the CTRC. Eight teams, the highest number in Funshoot history, contributed $5,000 each to participate. These platinum sponsors were Alamo One, AT&T, Capitol Aggregates, Cemex, Komatsu (dealers: Waukesha Pearce, Kirby-Smith), Midstate Environmental Services, Ryan Construction and Urban Concrete.
Vulcan Materials Co. is the nation’s largest producer of construction aggregates, and a major producer of asphalt mix and concrete.
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Contact Karen Stamm for any of the high-resolution images described below.
Photo from Nov. 20 dedication ceremony:
Caption 1: Tangible tribute: From L to R: UT Health Science Center President William L. Henrich, M.D., dedicates a CTRC patient reception area to honor Vulcan Materials Co., represented by longtime employees Thomas A. McFadden, Pam Jones and Pat Bendele. At far right is CTRC Executive Director Ian M. Thompson, M.D.
Photos from the Sept. 12 Funshoot:
Caption 1: Brannan Paving took first place in the clay shooting competition. Team members from L to R: Chad Olsen, Dustin Durham, Shaun Brannan, Cody Brannan, Jason Brannan.
Caption 2: Leaders from Vulcan Materials, Southwest Division who participated in the Funshoot were (from L to R): J. Thomas Hill, president; Pat Bendele, statewide transportation general manager; Thomas A. McFadden, procurement leader; and Darren Hicks, director, human resources.
Caption for photos 3 and 4: This unidentified clay shooting competitor was among 400 people at the Vulcan Materials Funshoot. The 2009 event raised $147,000 for the Cancer Therapy & Research Center at the UT Health Science Center.
Caption 5 (company location photo): Thomas A. McFadden of Vulcan Materials, Southwest Division is a driving force behind the company’s Funshoot that benefits the CTRC at the UT Health Science Center.
The Cancer Therapy & Research Center at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is one of the nation’s leading academic research and treatment centers, serving more than 4.4 million people in the high-growth corridor of Central and South Texas including Austin, San Antonio, Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley. CTRC is one of the elite cancer centers in the country to be named a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center, and is one of the only three in Texas. A world leader in developing new drugs to treat cancer, the CTRC Institute for Drug Development is internationally recognized for conducting one of the largest oncology Phase I clinical drug programs in the world, and participates in the clinical and/or preclinical development of many of the cancer drugs approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. For more information, visit www.ctrc.net