Who would have known that the legend Ronnie James Dio was an avid bowler, but then I look at the town he grew up in and there were only three things to do; theater, baseball, fishing and bowling. The sleepy little city in Upstate New York had two bowling alleys and lots of baseball fields, but we are not hear to talk about the simple life in this little city, we are here to talk about a worthy cause that was inspired by Dio.
The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund annually puts on a fundraiser that supports research and development in the fight against Gastric Cancer. After Dio’s passing in 2010, the organization has raised over 2 million dollars to help research for cancer. Last month, this year’s event proved to be a massive success and they were able to raise over $70, 000 for this cause. Celebrities and medical professional alike came together for a fun bowling party.
During the event, the foundation presented a check for $25,000 to the UCLA School of Dentistry headed by Dr. David Wong. His team is helping to further research and development of non-invasive salvia swap tests for early cancer detection. Dr. Wong‘s team has been at the forefront of the development of salivary biomarkers for Gastric Cancer detection since 2016. The Dio Cancer fund and Wendy Dio have also helped so many other organizations out there since the beginning and continue to bring hope to lives that have been affected by cancer.
Many celebrities’ came out to the event to support the cause and toss a few bowling balls down the alleys which was hosted by Eddie Trunk, the broadcast personality on SirusXM’s 103 Faction Talk channel. Former band mate Vinny Appice from Dio, Black Sabbath was there with other artists. Ira Black from Bullet Boys, Dio Disciples, Mark Boals from Ring of Fire, Gilby Clark from Guns & Roses, Rob Jones & Chaz Ruiz from Yachtley Crew, as well as Orianthi and actors Corey Feldman and Kurt Deimer. Influencers Anwar Hadid and Jonathan Martin of Walnut Creek, California, who was the highest bidder in the eBay auction. The celebrity list goes on and on, but it was more important that the support for Dio is still so strong 14 years after his passing.
Ronnie James Dio‘s legend and strength is preserved through the lives of people that some of never even knew how big this guy was. He brought heavy metal to the forefront of so many people worldwide and was one of the driving forces behind many bands that have come and gone in his wake. May the world never forget what he has done and will continue to do for victims of Gastric Cancer. The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund‘s tireless efforts keeps research alive so many others can be given hope for a future. If you want to know more about this organization, please follow these links or if you never heard of Dio check out his music. To Ronnie James Dio: “horns” to you and we know he has put together a kickass band up in heaven.
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