Peru Rocks Against Cancer
09/25/2008
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(PR) On the heels of their record-breaking performance at 18,536 feet in the shadows of Mt. Everest, the Love Hope Strength Foundation (LHS) today announced details for "Peru Rocks" a 10-day musical journey taking place October 8-17 in multiple locations throughout Peru. Well known musicians from Fastball, and The Fixx, will join Nick Harper, renowned director and producer Alex Colletti, and LHS co-founders Mike Peters of The Alarm and James Chippendale, along with 60 cancer survivors and supporters in a music-fueled pilgrimage devoted to providing cancer care to a country in need.
The journey will begin with a visit to the countries' largest cancer care center in Lima where trekkers will meet the courageous cancer patients their journey will support. They will then head to Cusco for a 4 day, 30-mile hike up the Inca Trail to the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu in the Andes Mountains. The musicians will perform in small villages and town centers each night, with a musical celebration atop the mystical eighth wonder of the world. The journey will conclude with a special benefit concert on Peru's Green Coast overlooking the city of Lima.
The Peru Rocks experience will be documented by director/producer Alex Colletti (creator of MTV's Unplugged), who premiered the first LHS documentary, Everest Rocks, on MTV's HD channel Palladia in September of 2008.
As with Everest Rocks, when millions of people from around the globe watched footage from the day's journey and participated via a dedicated website, the LHS foundation has established an interactive trekker journal, www.perurocks.org as a way for cancer supporters around the world to join in this historic effort. LHS will make podcasts available each day on the dedicated site as well as iTunes. All proceeds from this endeavor will provide much needed equipment to Peru's National Institute of Neoplastic Disease in conjunction with ALINEN. Last year LHS raised money and awareness for the people of Nepal and purchased the country's first mammography and internal radiation machines. This year, in addition to providing equipment, LHS will use the money to establish a chapter in Peru that will initiate ongoing national awareness and cancer care campaigns.
One of the many survivors who are "climbing back from cancer" on this trip, Tracy Callahan, from Philadelphia, was given five years to live after being diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer. This October she will be celebrating five years of remission alongside many other cancer survivors with similar stories. Other trekkers are going on the journey to honor those that lost their battle with cancer. Lee Williams and his family will be going to celebrate the life of Otto Schutt, co-founder of the Burning Man Festival, and inspiration behind the online video portal, www.givethanks.tv . Otto, who passed away in May 2008 at age 40, was planning on taking the trip to Peru, and now his friends and family are going in his place to spread his ashes among the Andes Mountains.
"We are bringing on more musicians, cancer survivors and supporters to join us for Peru Rocks to help make this global event not only more far-reaching, but also to help raise the funds necessary to provide cancer screening and treatment equipment needs to the people of Peru," said James Chippendale, Co-Founder of the Love Hope Strength Foundation.
"Peru Rocks" is the latest charity climb and concert in the "Rocks" line-up in just over a year. There was "Empire Rocks" on the top of the Empire State Building, "Snowdon Rocks" at the summit of Mount Snowdon and most recently "Everest Rocks", where LHS broke the record for highest concert ever performed at the base camp of Mount Everest. The Love Hope Strength Foundation started the "Rocks" events with the hope of bringing cancer care and support to the world. Their mission continues in Peru, one cancer center in every country, one concert at a time.
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