James Blake is a tennis star who’s played professionally for over two decades and was ranked as high as no. 4 in the world. He’s also an entrepreneur and philanthropist.
While playing, Blake founded the James Blake Foundation in 2008. The Foundation “invests vital seed money at the leading-edge of science: speeding the most promising work, and shortening the time it takes to turn lab discoveries into better treatments for patients.”
The foundation supports the effort of the Thomas Blake Sr. Memorial Research Fund, which is named after his father, who passed away from cancer in 2004. The foundation donated $1.16M to Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) in 2019 in memory of his father and continues to push to find a cure for the disease that continues to affect so many.
Now, due to his selfless efforts to help others, Blake is being honored by organization AKTIV Against Cancer at its 10th annual awards dinner on August 22nd at NeueHouse Madison Square.
AKTIV Against Cancer, co-founded by legendary runner Grete Waitz and Helle Aanesen, focuses on ensuring that physical activity becomes part of cancer treatment and helps develop fitness programs and facilities in cancer treatment centers.
The organization is thrilled to honor Blake this year.
“James Blake is not just a world-class athlete, he is a world-class individual who always puts others before himself, and he embodies all we are doing with AKTIV Against Cancer,” said Aanesen. “We are honored to welcome him and his team as this year’s honoree.”
The honor is personal for Blake and he remains committed to funding research efforts in his father’s name.
Recently, the James Blake Foundation announced a groundbreaking $1M donation to MSK designed to help advance cancer research and prevention.
Per the release:
Through the establishment of the James Blake Discovery Fund in Prevention and Early Interception, the two organizations are uniting their efforts to combat cancer and improve patient outcomes. Through this partnership, the James Blake Foundation and MSK are poised to drive meaningful progress in cancer prevention and interception research, bringing hope to patients and families affected by this devastating disease.
For more information about AKTIV Against Cancer please visit www.aktivagainstcancer.org
