Press On raises $13,000 for Tour des Chutes, cancer programs

Hundreds flocked to Atlas Cider Company in Bend on Saturday , Sept. 17 for live music, cider, a fun run, and to celebrate cancer survivorship during the second annual Press On: Moving Lives Through Cancer event, raising $13,145 for Tour des Chutes and local cancer survivorship programs.

A Bend-based event established by physical therapists to spotlight the role movement and exercise can play in the lives of those affected by the disease, Press On was a community celebration featuring food, drink, live music by MOsley WOtta and The Northwest Compromise, a 5K event, a silent auction and educational booths hosted by area physical therapists, health care providers and nonprofit organizations.

“This year’s event was a tremendous success, drawing people both in celebration of cancer survivorship as well as those just interested in having a good time while contributing to a great cause,” said Bend oncology physical therapist Meredith Wampler-Kuhn, co-founder and lead organizer of the event. “We’re so grateful to the sponsors, exhibitors and attendees who stepped up to make this event so amazing.”

Funds were raised through local sponsors, special beverage sales by Atlas Cider, Immersion Brewing and Humm Kombucha, entry fees from the Recharge 5K Fun Run, and winning bidders from an on-site silent auction. All monies collected were donated to Tour des Chutes, which supports local cancer survivorship programs operated through the St. Charles Foundation and the Pediatric Foundation.

“The Press On event felt like a natural extension of Tour des Chutes’ values of creating and maintaining a community that encourages movement and supports cancer survivors in Central Oregon,” said Sarah McDougall, executive director of Tour des Chutes. “The positive energy of the organizers, the event and the participants warmed my heart and reminded me yet again of what a giving and engaged community we live in.”

Press On was founded in 2015 by Wampler-Kuhn, fellow physical therapist and Vantage Clinical Solutions CEO Tannus Quatre, and Vantage Clinical Solutions marketing coordinator Ben Montgomery. In its first year, Press On raised $6,500 for area cancer survivorship programs, giving the event a two-year fundraising total of $19,600.

Quatre credits the group’s strong partnership with Atlas Cider County as a key component to Press On’s success.

“Atlas has been a key partner for us since the very beginning, and we’re honored to collaborate with such socially conscious, community minded local business,” he said. “They’ve gone above and beyond to support both the event and the cause of cancer survivorship, and we’re already making plans to make this an even more successful event next year.”

Press On was made possible thanks to the generosity of a number of local sponsors and contributors, including Atlas Cider Company, PT Pub Night, St. Charles Health System, Wells Fargo, Bend Memorial Clinic, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Therapeutic Associates, Vantage Clinical Solutions, Recharge, Humm Kombucha, Immersion Brewing, Opportunity Knocks, Alpine Physical Therapy, High Lakes Health Care, Central Oregon Radiation Oncology Associates, Apex Physical Therapy, Step & Spine Physical Therapy, Focus Physical Therapy, The Bulletin, Cascade Business News, Combined Communications and BuildPT.

For more information about Press On: Moving Lives Through Cancer, visit pressonbend.com.