Give a High Five for Cancer Research

Cancer research is serious business, often taking years of time and effort to yield results, but that could be why people get so creative in finding ways to support it. You may have walked, run, biked, or bought jewelry to help fund cancer research, but now is your chance to high-five for it. This timeless display of enthusiasm and solidarity can make a difference. April 19 is National High Five Day and, this year, the day is devoted to cancer research.

This quirky event is organized by the National High Five Project, founded in 2010 to channel the fun spirit of National High Five Day into raising money for real and tangible good. They selected four organizations to benefit from the 2012 National High-Five-a-Thon for Cancer Research. One of them, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, is based in La Jolla.

Participants across the country, including a team from San Diego, created profile pages on the National High-Five-a-Thon website. Each supporter has agreed to give 55 (or more) high-fives on April 19. Each slapping of hands will carries a monetary value, directed toward the four benefiting organizations.

So if a stranger tries to high-five you on Thursday, don’t hesitate to give ‘em some skin. You will be helping research that could one day save lives.

Learn more about Sanford-Burnham’s National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center here. See why the cancer research taking place at Sanford-Burnham is worth a whole lot of high-fives.