| Long before Lance Armstrong donned the now-familiar yellow leader's jersey to win his first Tour de France championship, he won an even more formidable fight against an aggressive form of testicular cancer. While undergoing treatment in 1996 -- even before knowing the certainty of his own fate -- Armstrong founded the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF), marking the beginning of his life as an advocate for people living with cancer and a world representative for the cancer community. Since the LAF's inception, Armstrong has served not only as the Foundation's founder and namesake, but also as the chief attitude officer. Today, Armstrong adds "largest individual contributor" to his title with an unrestricted gift of $1.5 million to the LAF. Previously, Armstrong was a member of the LAF's Founder's Circle, comprised of entrepreneurial stewards who have supported the Foundation's mission to inspire and empower people affected by cancer through donations of at least $500,000. Armstrong's gift will be used to support the Foundation's advocacy, public health and research programs. "We are thrilled that through this $1.5 million gift, Lance -- who has always supported the Foundation through generous gifts of his time, energy, passion and financial support -- will now be known as our largest individual contributor," said Mitch Stoller, LAF president and chief executive officer. "Like all contributions to the LAF of any size, we will put Lance's gift to work to create hope for people living with cancer." www.wnem.com/Global/story.asp?S=3989025
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