A Powerful Weekend, An Unforgettable Event

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and The Ride For Roswell are pleased to announce country star LeAnn Rimes will perform at The Ride For Roswell 2013 Opening Ceremony on Friday evening, June 21, 2013.

Rimes is most well-known for her 1996 release of the Bill Mack song “Blue” at age 13, which helped her become the youngest country music star since Tanya Tucker in 1972. In 2008, Rimes lent her voice to the song “Just Stand Up,” with its proceeds supporting Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C). With her help, SU2C was able to award $73.6 million towards cancer research.

The Ride For Roswell Opening Ceremony is an inspirational rally against cancer that kicks off Ride weekend.  The program features a procession of Roswell Park researchers, doctors, cancer survivors and patients, the arrival of the Peloton, video tributes and an inspirational speaker.  Rimes will end the evening with a live performance from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m.   The Ride For Roswell, Roswell Park’s largest fundraising event, will take place the next day, Saturday, June 22, 2013.

The Opening Ceremony is only open to The Ride For Roswell Community of supporters --riders, virtual riders, volunteers, Roswell Park patients, their caregivers and cancer survivors -- and is free.  The opening ceremony is not open to the public.

Who Can Attend the Opening Ceremony:

• Registered Adult Rider or Virtual Rider and one complimentary guest
• Registered Ride Volunteer and one complimentary guest
• Roswell Patient/Survivor and four complimentary guests
• Roswell Park Staff Member and one complimentary guest

Those wishing to bring additional guests above and beyond what is outlined above can do so for a donation of $20.

Rimes has won two Grammys, three ACMs, a CMA, 12 Billboard Music Awards and one American Music award. She has also released 10 studio albums and four compilation albums through her record label of 13 years, Asylum-Curb, and placed over 40 singles on American and international charts since 1996.  She has sold over 37 million records worldwide, with 20.3 million album sales in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan. Billboard ranked her 17th artist of the 1990-00 decade.

About The Ride For Roswell
Founded in 1996, The Ride For Roswell is an annual cycling event that benefits research and patient care programs at Roswell Park.  The Ride starts and finishes on the North Campus of the University at Buffalo in Amherst, NY.   With routes ranging from three miles to 104 miles, cyclists of all abilities participate in The Ride.  In 2012, The Ride For Roswell was expanded to include an Opening Ceremony, which takes place the evening before ride day.  The Opening Ceremony brings riders, virtual riders, volunteers and supporters together with Roswell Park doctors, patients, cancer survivors and employees to rally against cancer.

About Roswell Park
The mission of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is to understand, prevent and cure cancer. Roswell Park, founded in 1898, was one of the first cancer centers in the country to be named a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and remains the only facility with this designation in Upstate New York. The Institute is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers; maintains affiliate sites; and is a partner in national and international collaborative programs. For more information, visit Roswell Park’s website at http://www.roswellpark.org, call 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355) or email AskRoswell@Roswellpark.org.