The Buffalo Bills and the ECMC Foundation along with the American Cancer Society will come together to host the 10th annual Billieve event in downtown Buffalo on Friday, October 2 as part of the NFL's month-long initiative to raise money and awareness for breast cancer research. The event will be held in front of (716) Food and Sport (on Scott Street) and will feature a free outdoor concert on Canalside with award-winning Black River Entertainment recording artist Craig Morgan.
The evening will feature a celebration of breast cancer survivorship and awareness with Bills players and their families making appearances. Janet Snyder of KISS 98.5 will serve as the Master of Ceremonies. Buffalo-based musical act eXit! will kick off the event at 6 p.m. with a live performance followed by another performance from another Buffalo-based band Dirty Smile at 7 p.m. Craig Morgan will take the stage at 8 p.m. and following his performance there will be a fireworks show on Canalside.
Proceeds from the event will benefit the ECMC Mobile Mammography Coach; the only unit of its kind in Western New York. Over 7,500 local women have been screened on the Coach in the past three years and a dozen of those women have had their breast cancer detected at a treatable stage. CEO Rich Cleland says the goal of the ECMC Mobile Mammography Coach is to make screening services available to all women in our community. "It shouldn't matter where you live or what your financial status is. All women deserve access to health care and the Coach is able to bring mammography services to women who might otherwise never be screened for cancer. Along with our partners at Western New York Breast Health; ECMC is proud to be partnering with the Buffalo Bills to promote the importance of early detection."
The ECMC Mobile Mammography Coach, which features two digital mammography screening units, will be parked on Scott Street for people to visit and receive information on early diagnosis and treatment. The American Cancer Society will also be on-site to help raise awareness and distribute information.
"Breast Cancer Awareness is a league-wide initiative that we strongly and proudly support in our region, and we are excited to celebrate survivorship in a new, exciting way this year" said Gretchen Geitter, Buffalo Bills Vice President of Community Relations. "With the support of our partners ECMC and American Cancer Society, the Bills look forward to an evening of raising awareness about how women and men in our region can make the crucial catch to tackle breast cancer."
In honor of the event, numerous downtown Buffalo landmarks like the Peace Bridge, the Phillip Lytle Building and the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center will turn 'pink' to support the cause.
The outdoor event will also feature ALEX AND ANI's on-site Bangle Bar in which a portion of the proceeds will benefit the ECMC Foundation. The (716) Club House food truck will be on-site as well.
Please visit www.buffalobills.com/billieve for more information.
About ECMC
*The ECMC Corporation includes an advanced academic medical center (ECMC) with 602 inpatient beds, on- and off-campus health centers, more than 30 outpatient specialty care services and Terrace View, a 390-bed long-term care facility. ECMC is a Level 1 Trauma Center, a regional center for burn care, behavioral health services, transplantation, and rehabilitation and is a major teaching facility for the University at Buffalo. Most ECMC physicians, dentists and pharmacists are dedicated faculty members of the university and/or members of a private practice plan. More Western New York residents are choosing ECMC for exceptional patient care and patient experiences—the difference between healthcare and true care™. *
