LAVFW supports Lab’s mission
August 22, 2008/Bar Harbor - During a visit by officers and members of the Ladies’ Auxiliary to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (LAVFW) earlier this month, The Jackson Laboratory (Jax) dedicated a new plaque in recognition of the organization’s 60 years of philanthropic support. That support was reaffirmed with new donations of more than $75,000 from the national and state sections, bringing total LAVFW funding to nearly $1 million.
Following the devastating 1947 forest fire that swept over Mount Desert Island and destroyed Jax, the LAVFW, then led by national president Dorothy Mann, was the first donor to step forward with rebuilding funds. The LAVFW president’s visit to Jax has become an annual tradition, introducing LAVFW members to scientists whose work they have supported with cancer research grants. This year, national president Virginia Carman’s visit coincides with the 60th anniversary of the LAVFW’s first grant to Jax.
In a ceremony, Jax president and CEO Rick Woychik, Ph.D., thanked the group for its longtime partnership, and he dedicated the plaque, which reads, "The Jackson Laboratory hereby commemorates 60 years of exceptional leadership in fundraising and support by the Ladies Auxiliary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. The LAVFW is a true partner in The Jackson Laboratory’s cancer research discoveries. We are deeply grateful to every member of this outstanding organization."
Dr. Woychik was then presented with a $60,000 check from the National LAVFW and $15,951.73 from the Maine LAVFW. Both checks will support cancer research.
Over the past six decades, the LAVFW’s funding has been the largest commitment from any service organization to Jax. Three buildings, countless pieces of research equipment, and funds for young investigators are among the initiatives the group has funded.
