Chicago, IL. (Top40 Charts/ Platform One Entertainment) - On January 24th, 2009, Platform One Entertainment presents Dare 2 Dream, a benefit concert and silent auction at the House of Blues
Chicago featuring
Kings of Leon - one of the biggest acts in rock today. Proceeds will benefit University of Chicago's state-of-the-art Comer Children's Hospital, which proudly employs teams of pediatric experts that use advanced diagnostic and medical techniques to care for children of all ages.
Pediatric Cancer Researchers Need Your Support
Cancer kills 560,000 Americans every year. That's 1,500 people each day, and one person every minute. Everyone has been touched by the damaging repercussions of cancer, but the tragedy is truly devastating when cancer claims the life of a child. Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among U.S. children between infancy and 15 years of age. Diagnosed regularly, pediatric cancer strikes randomly and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region - but at present, the prevention of pediatric cancer is impossible as its causes are mostly unknown. Due to the lack of essential media attention, awareness of much needed funding for pediatric cancer is virtually absent from the public eye. To make matters worse, the government's cancer research budget has been cut every consecutive year since 2003. Given the rampant nature of this disease, we must stay vigilant and committed to healing as many people as possible and finding a cure without delay.
Kings of Leon Making an Impact on the Lives of Children with Cancer
In the U.S. and abroad, Kings of Leon have positioned themselves as one of today's most popular rock acts and will be headlining this meaningful benefit event. Their new record, Only By The Night, recently debuted in the Top 5 on the U.S. Billboard Top 200 and No 1 on the Billboard Digital Albums chart. Rolling Stone says the new record displays 'arena-ready largeness' and labels the band rock heroes. In the UK, Kings of Leon mania has taken on a new dimension with both a No 1 album and No 1 single - a rare feat for any artist. The band has already performed on major programs such as Saturday Night Live and The Late Show with David Letterman with great acclaim, and has also graced the entire cover of the October 2008 SPIN Magazine. Having already toured with U2, Pearl Jam and Bob Dylan, Kings of Leon has a major North American tour taking place this fall including a stop on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The band continues to rock some of the most prolific venues in the world and is thrilled to perform in Chicago to bring critical awareness and funding to pediatric cancer research. Kings of Leon lead singer Caleb Followill exclaims, "The band is excited to play the House of Blues for such a worthy cause. We are all happy to support Dare 2 Dream's mission to save the lives of countless children."
University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital
The University of Chicago's Comer Children's Hospital pediatric oncology team is focused on all aspects of cancer care for children, from diagnosis and treatment, to conducting research to finding promising new therapies. All efforts are dedicated to helping kids with cancer beat the disease so they can live active, full lives. Comer's pediatric specialists are at the forefront of cancer care, providing the latest investigational therapies as well as proven treatments. Their physicians and nurses are not only experts in cancer-they are experts in cancer in children and teenagers. This distinction is fundamental for both medical and developmental reasons, as these specialists have a thorough understanding of how cancer can affect a child's growing body. When determining the best treatment, their pediatric specialists do everything possible to minimize the impact of chemotherapy, radiation, and other therapies on a child's development.
'With a roughly 70% cure rate among childhood cancers, we have come a long way in recent years in developing effective therapies for children and young adults with cancer. Our goal is to cure all kids with this devastating disease through cutting edge research and world-class clinical care. I am grateful to Kings of Leon and Platform One Entertainment for helping us at the University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital work toward this ambitious goal,' said John Cunningham, M.D. Section Chief of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital.
Making It All Happen
Following several highly successful Dare 2 Dream benefit events, Platform One Entertainment continues to demonstrate its commitment to developing and delivering momentous events to significantly contribute to prominent causes and charities. This year alone, Platform One has already generated noteworthy visibility and funding for The National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, The Common Ground Foundation, and The Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness while working with some of today's biggest artists including Common, Cypress Hill, and several others. 'I'm extremely proud and honored to partner with the incredible Kings of Leon to help foster major awareness and raise important funding for University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital all while continuing our pursuit to harness the power of music and entertainment to benefit important causes,' states Platform One Entertainment President, Jeff Sodikoff.
