The nonprofit’s milestone at Academy Nightclub connected music and community with a deeply personal mission: helping people facing cancer. At Academy Nightclub in Hollywood, the admission ticket carried a message. For Fuck Cancer’s 100th event on Sept. 23, guests were required to wear a commemorative T-shirt, with each purchase serving as a donation. It was a simple way to give a night out a shared purpose: supporting cancer prevention, early detection and people affected by the disease.
The Los Angeles milestone brought the nonprofit’s “Road to 100” campaign to its destination, with Dillon Francis, Diplo and DJ Pauly D on the announced lineup. Music provided the draw, while the occasion recognized years of fundraising and the community that had helped sustain it.
Behind the organization’s deliberately blunt name is a story rooted in family. Co-founder Julie Greenbaum started organizing fundraising events in 2010 after losing her mother to ovarian cancer, building a way to honor her memory through action. Across Canada and the United States, those gatherings gave a personal loss a public purpose.
Yael Cohen had founded her own organization, Fuck Cancer, in 2009 after her mother’s breast cancer diagnosis. Her focus was on changing conversations about the disease, encouraging prevention and early detection, and providing support for patients and caregivers. The two organizations merged in 2015, bringing their efforts together under one nonprofit.
That history gave the Hollywood celebration its emotional center. A milestone measured in events also reflected the work of people who had found a way to turn concern for someone they loved into something others could join.
A Night Worth Remembering
Ahead of the celebration, Greenbaum described one of the organization’s goals as building “a community that reminds people they never have to face cancer alone.” That sense of belonging helps explain the connection between a nightclub gathering and a mission that reaches into clinics, households and everyday conversations about health.
According to figures released by the nonprofit ahead of the event, its gatherings had welcomed more than 55,000 attendees worldwide and raised more than $2 million. The organization also reported helping deliver more than 60,000 cancer screenings and 35,000 HPV vaccines through its programs—cumulative achievements leading into the anniversary.
Its broader work includes community health clinics, education campaigns, support groups and resources for patients and caregivers. Those programs address needs that continue long after a fundraising evening ends, from finding information to accessing practical and emotional support.
For Los Angeles, the 100th event offered a familiar gathering place in service of something deeply human. The T-shirt at the door made participation straightforward; the work it supported gave that gesture lasting meaning. As Fuck Cancer moves beyond its first hundred events, the next chapter will depend on carrying that willingness to show up into the screenings, education and support still ahead.
More information: Learn about the nonprofit’s programs, resources and ways to contribute at letsfcancer.com
Photo credits: Photo courtesy of Let’s F Cancer
