16th Annual HOLIDAY ROCK & ROLL BASH Raises $1.2 Million for Lustgarten Foundation

On Wednesday evening, December 14, The Madison Square Garden Company and AMC Networks hosted the 16th Annual Holiday Rock & Roll Bash to benefit the Lustgarten Foundation, the nation's largest private nonprofit funder of pancreatic cancer research. The Bash is the Foundation's premier fundraising event, and this year, raised $1.2 million. Due to the support of private funding, 100 percent of every dollar raised goes directly to pancreatic cancer research.

Entertainment for the event, held at Tao Downtown in New York City, included a special DJ set from Grammy Award winning music producer and recording artist Swizz Beatz, along with an exclusive performance from the Christmas Spectacular by the world-famous Radio City Rockettes.

"The Holiday Rock & Roll Bash is one of the highlights of our year," said Kerri Kaplan, president and chief executive officer of the Lustgarten Foundation. "Over the past 16 years, the Bash has raised more than $22 million for research. Our goal is to put an end to pancreatic cancer, and the only way to achieve this is through revolutionizing our understanding of this terrible disease. We know what needs to be done, and we have the leading researchers urgently working on earlier detection methods and more effective treatments."

Pancreatic cancer is swift and silent, and often undetected until it is too late. The overall five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is eight percent and most with advanced cancer die within a year. There are no early detection tests, no effective long-term treatments and no cure. It is the third-leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States.

Since its inception, the Lustgarten Foundation has contributed more than $125 million toward pancreatic cancer research. Researchers are making great progress in the areas of early detection, improved therapies and personalized medicine.

The Lustgarten Foundation was established in 1998 to honor Marc Lustgarten, who served as the former vice chairman of Cablevision Systems Corporation and chairman of Madison Square Garden, before he died from pancreatic cancer. James Dolan, executive chairman of The Madison Square Garden Company and former chief executive officer of Cablevision; and Charles Dolan, executive chairman of AMC Networks and former chairman of Cablevision, helped establish the Foundation and have been closely involved in supporting its mission to advance pancreatic cancer research and paying homage to Mr. Lustgarten's legacy.

Visit lustgarten.org to learn more about the Lustgarten Foundation's fight to defeat pancreatic cancer.

The Lustgarten Foundation is the largest private foundation dedicated to funding pancreatic cancer research. The Foundation supports research to find a cure for pancreatic cancer, facilitates dialogue within the medical and scientific community, and educates the public about the disease through awareness campaigns and fundraising events. Since its inception, the Foundation has directed $125 million to research and assembled the best scientific minds with the hope that one day, a cure can be found. Thanks to private funding, 100 percent of every dollar donated to the Foundation goes directly to pancreatic cancer research. For additional information, visit www.lustgarten.org.