Monday, October 2, 2017

Another Wonderful Celebration in the Sun

The 17th running of Legacy Chase at Shawan Downs was a huge success. Mother Nature was kind enough to provide us with nice weather, allowing us to enjoy the beautiful horses, a picturesque countryside setting and fun with family and friends – there were approximately 8,000 attendees this year – coming together for a fabulous time.

Stretched across 300 acres of green meadows at Shawan Downs in northern Baltimore County, Legacy Chase attracts visitors of all ages for a day of steeplechase races, railside tailgating, live music, great food and family-friendly activities. Many of the crowd-pleasing traditions continued this year—such as the G. Leslie Grimes Memorial Stick Pony Race for kids— and GBMC added some exciting new components to help make this year’s event a success. Brand new this year, was the Survivor Shuffle, a unique and exciting dance aimed to draw attention to the fight against cancer. I want to thank the more than 150 volunteers who took part in this fun and new effort which ultimately was a great way to show support for our Oncology services. Hats, Horses, and Hope was the theme to celebrate cancer survivors. Each of the symbols create a sense of comfort and strength for cancer patients. Children also came dressed as their favorite superhero or received a free cape on-site to show their support for the fight, while some guests boasted their best hat to show support for oncology patients, as funds raised benefit oncology support services at the Sandra & Malcolm Berman Cancer Institute at GBMC. In the 2017 calendar year, at the end of Legacy Chase we raised $1.25 million for Oncology Services from 435 community supporters, including fundraising and sales from Legacy Chase.

Legacy Chase also gives us an opportunity to engage with the community, employees, donors and local businesses in the work of our healthcare system. We are proud to receive tremendous support from the community-at-large and our family here at home. 

Despite no incentive of a world record to break like last year – a record which we still hold by the way – we continue to receive great community and employee support. There were 35 GBMC departments that participated in activities throughout the summer to engage the community, promote the event and encourage fundraising. And they had some fun too! Special recognition goes to the GBMC Epic team, which raised almost $3,000 through a car wash and other activities.

The Sandra and Malcolm Berman Cancer Institute is able to provide patients with the best treatment and care possible thanks to continued annual support. The Institute is the only comprehensive community cancer program certified with distinction by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer in the Baltimore region. GBMC has invested in talent and technology to provide the best for oncology patients. Whether they are in need of outpatient, inpatient, home care, hospice or survivorship services, the more than 2,000 new cancer patients annually at GBMC get the best care.

This wonderful event (highlighted in the below video) would not have been successful without the support of our loyal volunteers, who helped us make this year’s event very special. I thank all those who attended and all those who donated time or treasure. Special thanks to the GBMC Philanthropy and Marketing Departments, who worked so hard in putting the event together. There’s still time to support the cause by visiting www.legacychase.org

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