LAP-A-THON SUPPORTS FAMILIES, RESEARCH

Boys Against Breast Cancer (BoyzABC) on Feb. 8 will present its fifth annual Winter Lap-A-Thon at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley. Proceeds will provide financial aid to
Bay Area families impacted by breast cancer and support UCSF breast cancer research.

BoyzABC was launched early in 2012 by two seventh-graders at Mill Valley Middle School, David Fineman and Ryan Hemmeter. When Fineman found out that his mom was diagnosed with breast cancer he wanted to help, but wasn’t sure how. The boys rallied a group of their friends to organize a basketball fundraiser, “March Madness Makes a Difference,” a free throw shooting event.

Fineman and his friends have continued this effort for the past 14 years. The group started a fund that provides financial support for families in need that have been impacted by a breast cancer diagnosis. This includes monies for food, transportation, housing, medication co-pays and mental health and wellness support. Over the past three years, a new financial aid fund has helped more than 75 families, including a single mother who did not have shelter.

“It’s a great cause all started by a group of Mill Valley boys — now young men — who are really having an impact, both in supporting cancer research and more recently, assisting families in need,” said the coordinator’s father, Dr. Jeff Fineman, professor and vice chair of pediatrics at UCSF.

The event is open to all ages and will include a silent auction, elite collegiate swimmers and prizes for top fundraisers.
For more information, visit boyzabc.org.