Cancer is the number one cause of death in San Diego and the second cause of death in the United States. This disease will touch all our lives at some point if it hasn’t already done so. This is why Team SDG&E/Sempra annually partners with Padres Pedal the Cause to reverse these statistics and accelerate cures for cancer.

Cancer is personal

Many of our employees who participate in Padres Pedal the Cause either are cancer survivors themselves, have loved ones battling cancer or have lost family and friends to the disease. Team SDG&E/Sempra recruited 49 registered participants and generated more than $22,000 so far for this year’s event. Additionally, employee volunteers staffed one of Pedal the Cause’s three hosted cheer zones at Bird Rock Coffee Roasters in Bird Rock (La Jolla). Volunteers cheered on cyclists, runners and walkers as they passed by. 

“I look forward to this event every year, as it gives us a chance to come together as employees, colleagues and teammates to do something we all love in support of people we care about for a great cause,” said Kevin Sagara, Sempra Energy group president.

Padres Pedal the Cause is proud to give 100% of fundraising dollars to collaborative cancer research. Fundraising for this year’s event will remain open until May 31. Learn more and consider donating at https://gopedal.org/2021event/. Every dollar makes a difference in the fight against cancer.

$460K and counting

Since 2016, San Diego-based employees from across the Sempra Energy family of companies have come together to participate in Pedal the Cause San Diego, raising and donating more than $460,000 for cancer research – part of the more than $13 million raised over the last seven years. All these funds have helped advance groundbreaking work taking place in San Diego’s award-winning cancer research centers:  Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego and Sanford-Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute.

Creating impact

The impact of these funds speaks loudly: doctors and scientists at these four institutions have worked together to conduct 63 translational cancer research projects, six clinical trials, and have won two team science awards for groundbreaking work on all types of cancers, including pancreatic, breast, brain, pediatric, skin, lung, colorectal, gastrointestinal, ovarian and endometrial cancers. Learn more here.