Upstate boat festival raises thousands for cancer research and programs

ANDERSON COUNTY, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - Prisma Health hosted their Dragon Boat Upstate Festival on Saturday to raise money for the Prisma Health Cancer Institute.

Twenty-three participants and thirty volunteers took part in Saturday’s festival at Portman Marina on Lake Hartwell. This year was the first time the event has been on the water in three years. The festival had been held virtually due to COVID-19.

“Come rain or shine, the generous and continued philanthropic support from our community helps make all this possible,” said Jeffery Edenfield, MD, director of the Institute for Translational Oncology Research. “With their support, we are able to provide world-class innovative care that’s not only exceptional, but here in their own backyard.”

In total, the event raised $301,582 for the institute’s cancer research and patient survivor programs.

Since the festival began in 2006, it has raised more than $4 million. These funds have helped patients through prevention, detection, research and programming. The programs supported by the past events include; Mobile Mammography Initiative, the Center for Cancer Prevention and Wellness program, the Institute for Translational Oncology Research, McCrary Blood & Marrow Transplant Unit and the Center for Integrative Oncology & Survivorship.

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