In its sixth year, the “Round It Up” campaign has raised more than $6.8 million by customers simply rounding up their transactions to the nearest dollar.
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Of the brands that participated:
- Family Video has three locations in Butler County (Fairfield, Hamilton and Oxford) and several locations within the Miami Valley area
- Marco's Pizza has locations within the region, but only two locations the Miami Valley area stores participated.
- The Stay Fit 24 location in the area that participated is in Fairfield in Butler County.
“Each year we set our expectations high, seeking to come close to or surpass $1 million dollars,” said Keith Hoogland, president of Highland Ventures, Ltd. “Nevertheless, we still cannot believe just how impactful Round It Up has become. There are countless stories during the two-and-a-half weeks coming out of the stores that demonstrate the tremendous selflessness of our customers and employees.”
There are an estimated 789,000 people in the United States living with, or in remission from, lymphoma, and more than 80,000 new cases of lymphoma were projected to be diagnosed in 2016.
“Lymphoma is the most common blood cancer and it represents one in every five cancer diagnoses,” Hoogland said. “Far too often within our organization the disease has affected us directly and through personal and family relationships. Together, we are making a difference.”
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The fundraising at the locations took place from March 10 to 26, and since 2012 when the charity partnerships with the Lymphoma Research Foundation and University of Chicago Medicine formed, 14 new lymphoma treatment drugs and 63 research grants have been approved, according to the Lymphoma Research Foundation.
Meghan Gutierrez, Lymphoma Research Foundation CEO, said the Round It Up program “has directly enabled the Lymphoma Research Foundation to invest critical research funding into some of today’s most exciting areas of blood cancer research.”
She said “unique partnerships” like with Highland Ventures “will help to move us closer to a cure than ever before.”
Dr. Sonali Smith, director of the Lymphoma Program at University of Chicago Medicine, said the Biobank “wouldn’t exist” without this fundraising program.
“It allows for human capital to be dedicated to the research,” she said. “Our research is helping make meaningful connections to determine how diet and lifestyle play a role in this horrible disease.”
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