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More than 2,000 people, including 167 teams, participated in Bounce Back from CancerTM, a partnership between Baptist Health Foundation and the Miami HEAT, on Saturday, March 14. The annual event raised over $7 million for research at Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute, part of Baptist Health Cancer Care.
Now in its seventh year, Bounce Back from Cancer brought the community together to dribble basketballs or walk through the streets of Miami to help fulfill the Institute’s vision of a world without cancer. The event was supported by cancer survivors and their families and friends, leaders and staff from the Miami HEAT and Baptist Health, sports fans and many others.
“It’s incredibly inspiring to experience the energy of this community, uniting to put an end to this heartbreaking disease,” said event chair Jorge Rico, co-founder and managing partner of MBF Healthcare Partners. “The caring and compassion from everyone involved, in addition to the funds raised, makes a tremendous impact for those fighting cancer.”
The Miami HEAT’s Udonis Haslem served as the event’s celebrity ambassador for the fifth year in a row. Haslem addressed the participants — who chose from 14.2-, 6- and two-miles courses and received completion medals — at the Kaseya Center finish line celebration.
“The research program at Miami Cancer Institute is growing rapidly, and funds from Bounce Back from Cancer help power its progress in cancer treatments,” remarked Joe Natoli, executive vice president and chief administrative officer for Baptist Health. “The collective support of our Bounce Back participants — including top fundraisers like our ‘Hall of Fame’ — continues to grow. We couldn’t be more grateful.”
In addition to the Miami HEAT, sponsors for Bounce Back from Cancer included Title Sponsor Kaseya; Presenting Sponsors S&K Worldwide Realty, LLC and Terra; Official Time Out Sponsor Pinecrest Bakery; Start Line Presenting Sponsors American Centennial, DPR Construction and NV2A a MasTec Company; Diamond Sponsor Palm Medical Centers; Platinum Sponsors Adelanto Health Ventures, Baker Tilly x Berkowitz Pollack Brant | Provenance Wealth Advisors, El Car Wash, MasTec, ServiceNow and Vilar-Hoynack Construction Co.; Gold Sponsors Al-Flex Exterminators, Epic, Florida Blue, Florida Panthers Foundation, Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), Gresham Smith, Perry Ellis International and the Nateman Family (Urgent Care Physicians). Silver, Bronze and Supporter level sponsors and underwriters also contributed to the event.
Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer for The HEAT Group John Vidalin remarked, “The Miami HEAT has a longstanding commitment to support the South Florida community. We are incredibly proud of our partnership with Baptist Health and Miami Cancer Institute to help fund research that will improve outcomes and defeat cancer for good.”
To donate or learn more about Bounce Back from Cancer, visit BounceBackfromCancer.net. Fundraising continues through March 31.
About Baptist Health Foundation
The mission of Baptist Health Foundation is to inspire philanthropy and build extraordinary donor relationships in support of excellence, innovation, community wellness and global leadership in healthcare at Baptist Health South Florida. Through philanthropy, the Foundation supports and expands Baptist Health’s ability to provide outstanding patient care and bring the latest treatments to patients and families affected by a serious illness. Donor contributions also allow the Foundation to assist Baptist Health facilities in keeping pace with technology and equipment advances, perform cutting-edge research and offer continuing education opportunities to medical staff. Learn more at BaptistHealth.net/Foundation and connect with us on Facebook and Instagram.
Baptist Health Foundation is part of Baptist Health, the largest healthcare organization in the region, with 12 hospitals, more than 28,000 employees, 4,000 physicians and 200 outpatient centers, urgent care facilities and physician practices spanning across Miami-Dade, Monroe, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Baptist Health has internationally renowned institutes specializing in cancer care, brain and spine care, heart and vascular care and orthopedic care. In addition, it includes Baptist Health Medical Group; Baptist Health Quality Network; and The Baptist Health PineApp, a virtual health platform. Baptist Health South Florida is an academic and clinical affiliate of Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. 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 is the most awarded healthcare system in South Florida by U.S. News and World Report. For more information, visit BaptistHealth.net/Newsroom and connect with us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn.
About Kaseya Center
Located in the center of booming downtown Miami and the Entertainment District, Kaseya Center—home of the three-time NBA Champion Miami HEAT—hosts 80+ non-basketball events each year including A-list concerts, family shows, sporting events, national conferences and more. Built with state-of-the-art sound and lighting and HD and electronic media signage inside and out, the impressive 19,600-seat Kaseya Center is currently ranked the #1 arena in Florida for the ninth consecutive year—and the 12th time during the past 13 years—according to both Pollstar and Billboard’s 2023 year-end rankings. Kaseya Center is also among the leading facilities in the country for hosting Latin entertainment. The Center has led the renaissance of downtown Miami over the past two decades, helping to transform the area into a thriving arts and entertainment district. The facility has hosted more than 1,200 events including diverse musical superstars such as Marc Anthony, Celine Dion, Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, New Edition, The Killers, Bad Bunny, Carrie Underwood, Dua Lipa, Tool, Imagine Dragons, Kane Brown, Karol G, Drake, Andrea Bocelli and Paul McCartney, just to name a few. In 2009, Kaseya Center became among the first existing buildings in the country to have achieved LEED certification by the United States Green Building Council for its commitment to sustainability practices. More recently, in 2021, the Arena achieved its second LEED gold recertification. For more information about Kaseya Center, visit kaseyacenter.com.
