Atlanta Hawks Foundation donates $130,000 to Prostate Cancer Foundation

During the Hawks’ game on Friday, the Atlanta Hawks Foundation presented a check of $130,000 to the Prostate Cancer Foundation as a part of the team’s fourth annual Black History Month Assist Challenge.

Throughout the month of February, the Hawks Foundation committed to donating $250 for every assist registered by the team. The Hawks totaled 260 assists to bring the donation total to $65,000 and generated millions of digital impressions by providing the fanbase with social updates on progress. In addition, Hawks principal owners Tony Ressler and Jami Gertz alongside the Ressler Gertz Family Foundation matched the initial donation to bring the total to $130,000. 

Launched in 2019, the Hawks have helped PCF raise nearly $650,000 through the annual Black History Month Assist Challenge to support lifesaving research. The Challenge helped to generate millions of impressions through media and provided resources for prostate cancer screening, risk reduction, and treatment, including local resources at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. 

“We are overwhelmed by the generous support PCF has received from the Hawks and are honored to again join efforts to raise awareness and funds for prostate cancer research,” said PCF President and CEO Charles J. Ryan, MD. “Our continued partnership with the Hawks during Black History Month has helped us reach so many men about the importance of understanding your risk for prostate cancer, especially Black men, who are disproportionately affected.” 

The challenge also aimed to raise awareness of prostate cancer inequities in Black men. One in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime, and Black men are about 75 percent more likely to develop prostate cancer than non-Hispanic white men. As a part of the campaign, the Hawks included an informational video featuring Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins and current Hawks forward John Collins as well as Bradley Carthon, MD, a medical oncologist and prostate cancer expert at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, who discussed the importance for men to begin the conversation with their doctor for screening.

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