Our 2020 Gift to Vanderbilt University
On our recent announcement of our gift to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and a reflection on the past five years:
To our amazing donors, supporters, and those who have helped to spread awareness of this disease and our organization, a tremendous thank you!! There is no Project Periwinkle without you, and I am immensely grateful for your support and proud of what we have been able to do in the past 5 years. Without a doubt, we are improving lives, making a positive impact in our world, and shaping a future where cancer is a part of the past. I am looking forward to visiting Nashville when we are able, and formally presenting our gift to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. As we celebrate five years and I look back on all we have done since, I am blown away by our accomplishments.
In 2014, I was devastated by the death of my cousin, Michon, and while trying to cope with her loss, I searched desperately for peace and understanding. I began to write, and pray, and reflect on the weight of what I was struggling to accept. And little did I know then, my writing and searching for answers would turn into a mission statement, and then this foundation. Growing up, I could never have imaged that I would start a non-profit organization, in fact it was never something that crossed my mind. But when Michon passed away and cancer touched my life with the magnitude it did, I knew there was something I had to do to fight for others who were going through I was and what she did. I knew there was a place for me to make a difference.
I was traveling to Michon’s funeral when I told my parents that I wanted to start a foundation that supported stomach cancer research. As my parents, they supported me, even though now as I reflect back on that moment, I don’t think any one of us knew what would come of it. But as the person I am, I knew that there was a way, I just needed to find it. I was entering my junior year of college, and I spent the next 10 months learning all I could about non-profits. From how they work, to how to create a supportive revenue stream, the legal in’s and out’s and of course, how not to mess it up. I knew I really only had one chance to make this work.
What shocked me most about stomach cancer is its high commonality, 5th most common worldwide at the time, and the fact that less than a quarter of a single percent of the National Cancer Institute research budget goes to stomach cancer. Aside from this, stomach cancer is extremely high with death rates, and with all this in mind, there was little progress on change. From a nonprofit perspective, the industry has extreme waste and mistrust among the public, and I knew that I could also do something to combat this. That is why I elected for a 100% model, in which every dollar we raise would go toward fulfilling our work. That meant no salaries, no careers, no fancy office, and no thrills. I started this organization to fight back against cancer and work toward a cure, not create a paycheck—and little did I know at the time, the dollars would really add up.
I brought together my parents and some of my closest friends to be on the Board of Directors. And on May 6th, 2015, we launched Project Periwinkle. In the past 5 years, we have raised tens of thousands of dollars for stomach cancer research, we have made donations to now four cancer centers, we have touched people in every state and 63 countries around the world. We have never stopped moving forward. We have an amazing team of ambassadors, board members, officers, and volunteers, and we would not be where we are today without them and all those who make our work possible. I am both thrilled and proud to support our 4th center and program, at Vanderbilt University, and continue forward with our mission of funding stomach cancer research and bringing our world closer to being a better, brighter, cancer free place.
As our world fights to overcome COVID-19, we will wait patiently to travel to Nashville and meet those who will use our gift to further their work, and we will never take our eyes off our goal. Cancer doesn’t stop and neither will we. Thank you, again, to all those who made this possible. Your continued support and belief in what we are doing is allowing us to continue forward, and we could not do it without you.
Sincerely,
Ben Broghammer
Founder, President & Chairman of the Board