Audi and Newsweek Team Up for Prostate Cancer Benefit
6 February 2000
ASPEN, Colo., -- When celebrities and prominent names from ski racing gather
in Aspen it is always spectacular. On February 24-27 when a group of
luminaries assembles for Audi The Spirit of Skiing it will also be for a good
cause -- the Prostate Cancer Initiative.
Sponsored by Audi of America and Newsweek, this three-day extravaganza of
skiing and social activities will focus on fun and fund-raising to combat an
insidious disease that will be found in 184,000 new patients this year and
claims 38,000 lives annually.
Created by Kiki Cutter, the first American to win a World Cup ski race,
Audi The Spirit of Skiing brings together ski luminaries, captains of industry
and entertainment stars. Shawn Colvin, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Jill St. John,
Robert Wagner and Jim Sikking will grace the slopes alongside Franz Klammer,
Tamara McKinney, Steve Podborski, Billy Kidd, and other ski legends.
Champions of the corporate world will also be involved in the event as Audi
and Newsweek will be bringing several top corporate executives and advertisers
to Aspen.
Festivities will kick off with the presentation of the Piaget Spirit of
Skiing Award to Franz Klammer, whose dramatic run to capture the gold medal in
the downhill at the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, is one of the
greatest moments in sports history.
Previous Spirit of Skiing award winners include 1952 Olympic giant slalom
gold medalist Stein Eriksen; ski apparel manufacturer Klaus Obermeyer, and
Dick Durrance, who has worn many hats in the sport from racer to pioneer of
technique to photographer and filmmaker.
From there, the event's participants will move onto Aspen Mountain for two
days of skiing activities, including a fun race. Also on the program is a
special concert by Shawn Colvin and Mary Chapin Carpenter on Friday, February
25 at 7:00 p.m. in the St. Regis Ballroom. Tickets are priced from $50-$100
and are tax deductible within the limits of law. Tickets are on sale at the
Wheeler Opera House in Aspen, Sounds Easy in Carbondale and Design Audio-Video
in Glenwood Springs. Tickets can be purchased by phone at 970-925-9042.
A gala dinner and silent auction will conclude the festive weekend.
"We're proud to be the title sponsor of Audi The Spirit of Skiing," said
Len Hunt, Vice President of Audi of America. "This sponsorship enables us to
assist a charity that will benefit so many people and to join in the fight
against prostate cancer."
Audi is the official vehicle of the Aspen Skiing Company.
"We're honored to be a Presenting Sponsor of such a wonderful event and
proud to be associated with such a worthy cause," said Newsweek Publisher
Carolyn Wall.
"It will be a fantastic weekend with a lot of fun activities, but we all
are looking to turn this fun into something positive for the Prostate Cancer
Initiative," said Cutter. "We are hoping to raise $100,0000 to $150,000."
Proceeds from Audi The Spirit of Skiing will be donated to the Prostate Cancer
Initiative and Aspen's Neighbor to Neighbor program. WB2 Charities, a fund of
the Robert R. McCormick Tribune Foundation, will also be providing grant
funding for the target charities.
The Prostate Cancer Initiative is a national program developed by the
Cancer Research Institute in partnership with the American Cancer Society with
the goal of eradicating the disease through clinical research, patient
education and increased public awareness focusing on early detection.
Complementing the PCI's efforts is the Drive Against Prostate Cancer
featuring a specially designed mobile medical vehicle, which will be in Aspen
for the Audi The Spirit of Skiing to provide free prostate screenings. Thor
Industries, a leading manufacturer of recreation vehicles and mid-size buses,
and Endocare, a major developer of prostate therapies including cryoablation,
spearheaded the Drive Against Prostate Cancer, and the vehicle was launched in
December 1999.
"This is a national effort we started because it is something we believe
in," said Dicky Riegel, Vice President of Corporate Development. "It's pretty
easy to make a difference."
