FAIRFAX, Va. – The Side-Out Foundation is happy to announce today that the foundation has officially joined the Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance (MBCA) as a Nonprofit Member Organization. After completing the application process, Side-Out’s Executive Director Rick Dunetz had conversations with MBCA Executive Director Laurie Campbell and Alliance Chair Shirley Mertz about the benefits to having Side-Out and its research be a part of the Alliance. Shortly after this conversation, Side-Out was informed that the foundation had been accepted.

“We are excited to welcome The Side-Out Foundation as the newest nonprofit organization member of the Alliance,” said Laurie Campbell, MBC Alliance Executive Director, “their experience and expertise will help us to expand our education, awareness, and research initiatives to a younger demographic. We look forward to the energy, passion, and innovative spirit that their team will bring to the table.”

Acceptance into the Alliance allows The Side-Out Foundation to work together with other organizations, independent patient advocates and patients within the metastatic breast cancer community to improve the lives of women and men living with stage IV. For a full list of Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance Members, visit the MBCA website.

“(Side-Out’s) experience and expertise will help us to expand our education, awareness, and research initiatives to a younger demographic.”

Laurie Campbell, MBC Alliance Executive Director

The Alliance’s goals (increasing knowledge, building understanding, and progressing research) align well with Side-Out’s own mission. Side-Out brings to the MBCA an 11-year history of working with over 100,000 volleyball student-athletes to teach the importance of research funding. In addition, Side-Out conducts its very own stage IV breast cancer research, The Side-Out Protocol.

“We are humbled and honored to have been selected to join such a reputable organization as the Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance,” said Rick Dunetz, Executive Director of the Side-Out Foundation. “We can’t wait to sit at the table with so many amazing and like-minded people to share ideas and find game-changing solutions for people living with stage IV breast cancer. If we hope to find real solutions to this underserved community, solidarity is key and the MBCA is bringing the best and brightest nonprofits, pharma and biotech companies, and independent advocates together.”

Understanding the need for research on stage IV breast cancer, The Side-Out Foundation began funding breast cancer education and cutting-edge for stage IV breast cancer research/treatment in 2010. The foundation’s journey has produced a series of volleyball sponsored clinical trials, funded and managed by Side-Out and its team of leading breast cancer oncologists and molecular biologists.

“If we hope to find real solutions to this underserved community, solidarity is key and the MBCA is bringing the best and brightest nonprofits, pharma and biotech companies, and independent advocates together.”

Rick Dunetz, Side-Out Foundation Executive Director

The Side-Out Foundation’s Dig Pink® Movement provides meaningful and impactful experiences for athletes while inspiring and empowering them to come together in support of the stage IV breast cancer community. Since 2008, the volleyball community has raised over $14 million through Side-Out’s programs.

With this funding, Side-Out’s research is changing the way breast cancer is treated. The clinical trials go above and beyond “Standard of Care”, proving multi-omic molecular profiling (including genomic, proteomic, and phosphoproteomic analysis) is beneficial in selecting treatment for late-stage breast cancer. In 2015, Side-Out was honored to be awarded the PhRMA Community Champion Research & Hope Award.

The Side-Out Protocol has produced game-changing results from Phase 1 and Phase 2 and is currently recruiting for its third phase. Today, Side-Out has eight trial locations spanning from coast to coast.

To learn more about Side-Out and its stage IV breast cancer research, visit Side-Out’s research page. To donate to The Side-Out Foundation, click here.

About The MBC Alliance

The Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance (MBCA) is a consortium made up of representatives from 34 nonprofit organizations and 12 pharmaceutical/biotech companies, along with 23 individual patient advocates, many of whom are living with MBC. The mission of the MBCA is to improve the lives of, and outcomes for, those living with metastatic breast cancer and their families through increasing awareness and education about the disease and advancing policy and strategic coordination of research funding, specifically focused on metastasis, that has the potential to extend life, enhance quality of life, and ultimately to cure. For more information visit www.mbcalliance.org.

About The Side-Out Foundation

The Side-Out Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Fairfax, VA that unifies the volleyball community to drive change in the way breast cancer is treated. Support through its Dig Pink® movement raises money for critical research of late-stage metastatic breast cancer – the least funded form of breast cancer research. In 2018, over 750 campaigns worldwide contributed $1,241,697 to Side-Out’s stage IV clinical trials, taking place at leading cancer institutions in the United States. Supported by prominent members of the community, including two-time Olympic Beach Volleyball medalist April Ross, Side-Out has raised more than $14 million for research on the disease. It has completed two successful clinical trials using Side-Out’s individualized treatment protocols and is currently recruiting for its third trial, its largest yet. Volleyball coaches across the country use Side-Out’s programs as a team building experience that reinforce the role sports can and should play in supporting athletes’ communities off the court. For more details, visit side-out.org/.