Curebound will hold its second annual Cure Support Concert featuring Ed Sheeran on Friday, October 20th at the Rady Shell in Jacobs Park.
All proceeds from the Cure Concert will go towards collaborating cutting-edge cancer research with the goal of providing patients with better options and outcomes and, hopefully, creating a world free of cancer.
Theodora Polamalu of Rancho Santa Fe, a longtime Curebound supporter, is on this year’s Concert for Cures concert committee.
Theodora and Troy Polamalu
(Courtesy of Polamala)
A San Diego native, Polamalu began her career in philanthropy in 2005, serving on various boards supporting veterans’ causes, humanitarian aid in American Samoa, and fighting multigenerational poverty. Along with her husband Troy, an NFL Hall of Famer and former Pittsburgh Steeler, they have their own donor-advised family foundation that works with veterans and mental health issues, and serves lower-income communities, as well as all things cancer research. pediatric cancer support and children’s hospitals.
Halfmules was introduced to Curebound by her good friend Fernanda Whitworth. Along with her husband Ralph, Fernanda founded the Immunotherapy Foundation in 2015 to accelerate research into precision cancer immunotherapy. Unfortunately, Ralph lost his battle with cancer in 2016, but his vision continued through the work of IF.
Curebound, launched in 2021, is the result of a merger between the Immunotherapy Foundation and Padres Pedal the Cause, another organization with roots in Rancho Santa Fe.
Padres Pedal the Cause, founded by Bill Coman and his wife Amy, a two-time lymphoma survivor, raised more than $3.25 million at this year’s event.
Whitworth, co-founder of Concert for Cure, encouraged Theodora to learn more about Curebound and become a part of it: “It was really wonderful,” she said.
This cause is especially important to Theodora, who has lost three close family members and friends to cancer this year alone. She said there appears to be an increase in cases of aggressive forms of cancer, making Curebound’s collaborative approach to supporting research even more effective in helping mitigate the impact of these types of cases.
Music has always been present in the Immunotherapy Foundation’s fundraising efforts, including past events such as the Rock and Roll Avalanche. Now with the Curebound concert series, they hope to build on their success each year by creating a big event for all San Diegans. Last year’s first concert featured Alicia Keys, and this year they caught Ed Sheeran.
“(Sheeran) was definitely a huge win,” said Theodora, who has been working with the concert committee for the past 10 months. “This is a great organization. It will be interesting to see how this event develops over the years.”
As for the performers, Theadora said they are not only looking for great musicians, but also those who are personally connected to the community in some way. Last year, Sheeran’s wife was diagnosed with cancer while pregnant with their second child, making him a strong voice in hope for a world without cancer.
Tickets and sponsorships for the October 20 show are still available and Polamalus recommends selling out as soon as possible.
“We are thrilled to be part of the Curebound Concert for a Cure for the second year in a row, and God willing, for many more years to come. This unique concert series supports a strategic approach to finding a cure for cancer, highlighting the brilliant minds of researchers and clinicians working toward one common goal: a cure,” said Troy. “Supporting the San Diego community to honor survivors and honor our loved ones we have lost to this terrible epidemic through the arts continues to bring healing and support to our beloved city. Please consider supporting Curebound this year and mark your calendars for next year as we put San Diego on the map together.”
For tickets and more information, visit curbound.org/concert-for-cures.