South Fulton Today

The Atlanta Hawks raised $130,000 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) as a part of the team's fourth annual Black History Month Assist Challenge.

In a recent release on NBA.com, PCF President and CEO Dr. Charles Ryan expressed his overwhelming appreciation to the Hawks for their generous support and honor to join forces again to raise both awareness and funds for prostate cancer research.

"Our continued partnership with the Hawks during Black History Month has helped us reach so many men about the importance of understanding your risk for prostate cancer, especially Black men, who are disproportionately affected," Ryan said in the release.

The team raised $65,000 in contributions that were matched by top team executives and the Ressler Gertz Family Foundation for an overall fundraising total of $130,000, the release said. The Hawks have helped PCF raise approximately $650,000 through the annual Black History Month Assist Challenge, which was launched in 2019 to help support life-saving research.

Among its impacts, the challenge has sparked millions of impressions via media and furnished resources for prostate cancer screening, along with risk reduction and treatment at local outlets such as the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, the release said. The challenge has also sought to raise awareness of prostate cancer inequities in Black men. While one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime, the risk for Black men is 75% higher than for non-Hispanic white men.