Pints for Prostates Assists Us TOO International's Efforts

The Jan. 5th edition of PRWeek magazine includes an article about the successful launch of the Pints for Prostates awareness campaign. Here’s the text of the story:

Us TOO gets good buzz from beer
Tanya Lewis
December 24, 2008

The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs International Visitor Leadership Program is hosting a group of Central and South American health care leaders in this country during October to discuss successful breast cancer awareness programs. Included in the delegation are representatives from Argentina, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, Paraguay and Venezuela. 

While the group was in Charlotte they wanted to learn more about efforts used to reach men with information about prostate cancer. Representatives of International House in Charlotte invited Rick Lyke to meet with the visitors and introduce them to Pints for Prostates.

The doctors reported that in much of Latin America there still exists a stigma among men regarding receiving regular prostate examinations. They were intrigued by the use of beer to reach men and several discussed possibly using the idea back in their home countries. The group was also provided with informational materials printed in Spanish from Us TOO International.

It’s festival season and Pints for Prostates is showing up where beer lovers are gathering to spread the news about the importance of regular health exams and PSA testing.

Thanks to the good folks at DRAFT magazine who donated a corner of their busy booth at the Great American Beer Festival, festival goers in Denver are getting the chance to learn more about prostate cancer, the importance of PSA testing and regular check ups. Pam Barrett from Us TOO International and Rick Lyke of Pints for Prostates have been working the table since Thursday. The Great American Beer Festival is the largest event of its kind in the United States. The sold out affair brings together 46,000 attendees and nearly 2,000 different American craft beers from more than 400 breweries.

Today in Fort Worth, Texas, a team of local Us TOO volunteers will staff a table at the Fall Beer Festival being hosted by the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium. The event takes place from 2 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. in the Flying Saucer parking lot at Sundance Square.

Attendees at both events get the chance to learn more about prostate cancer and the critical steps men can take to protect their health. Donations are also accepted, with funds going to support the efforts of Us TOO International.

Beer fans in Durham, N.C., packed the World Beer Festival on Saturday at the Durham Athletic Park. In addition to sampling beer from more than 150 breweries from around the world, the crowd had the opportunity to learn more about the importance of PSA testing and monitoring prostate health.

All About Beer magazine, which organizes the World Beer Festival, donated booth space to Pints for Prostates and a group of Us TOO International staff and volunteers worked the table, including Phil and Joan Harris, Susan Bavisotto, Norm and Diane Berth, Andy Kocon, Tom Kirk and Rick Lyke.

People crowded the booth throughout the day to buy raffle tickets for a chance to win a kegerator donated by Carolina Beer (won by Matthew McGuigan), pub signs from Dogfish Head Brewery and Highland Brewing, and prizes from Pabst Brewing. The raffle ticket sales, along with donations received for wristbands and lapel pins, raised more than $2,300 to help Us TOO International in its mission to support, educate and advocate for men with prostate cancer and their families.

People visiting the booth had many questions for the Us TOO volunteers, who supplied literature on prostate cancer and what men can do to protect their health. As has been the case at each Pints for Prostates event, men with a history of prostate cancer in their families came to the booth and had the chance to ask questions of prostate cancer survivors.

Members of the local chapter of Us TOO International helped raise awareness of prostate cancer and the importance of PSA testing in the Austin, Texas, area over the weekend at the Fall Beer Festival hosted by Flying Saucer Draught Emporium.

Mike Jones, Richard Dodson, Rocky Slay and Errol Olson worked the Pints for Prostates table and handed out information about prostate cancer, talking to a number of men who had family histories of the disease.

The group also raffled several items, collected donations and received the proceeds from a frisbee golf putting contest held during the festival, raising a total of nearly $1,000 to support the efforts of Us TOO International.

On Saturday, if you are heading to the World Beer Festival in Durham, N.C., or the Fall Beer Festival in Austin, Texas, please take time to check out the Pints for Prostates booth at each event. You will have the chance to get information on prostate cancer and also make a donation to help support the efforts of Us TOO International.

The World Beer Festival will be held at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park at 409 Blackwell St. in Durham, N.C. The Oct. 4th event, which is sold out, runs during two sessions, from Noon to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. This event, created by All About Beer magazine, is one of the best beer events in the eastern United States.

The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium is holding its annual Fall Beer Festivals in Austin on Oct. 4th from Noon to 10 p.m. at The Triangle, 815 W. 47th St. A portion of the proceeds from the event will be donated to the Pints for Prostates campaign to support the efforts of Us TOO International. The event will include Belgian ales, German lagers, cask-conditioned beers and some of the best beers in Texas.

Rogue Ales, one of America’s most respected craft brewers, has stepped forward as a sponsor of Pints for Prostates, a campaign developed to use the universal language of beer reach men with information about PSA testing and prostate health screening.

Pints for Prostates was created to raise the awareness of men about prostate cancer and the need for regular health check-ups. The campaign supports the efforts of Us TOO International Prostate Cancer Education and Support Network, a not for profit group founded and governed by prostate cancer survivors that works to support, educate and advocate for men with prostate cancer.

“Rogue Ales embraces the idea of communicating with men over a pint of ale. The Pints for Prostates campaign appealed to us because it uses a friendly way to get an important health message to men,” said Brett Joyce, President of Rogue Ales. “We hope every man in Rogue Nation listens to the message and asks their doctor for a PSA test.”

“Having a brand like Rogue involved in the campaign will help us reach more men in their late 30s and early 40s, when statistics show they often skip regular physicals and avoid doctor’s offices,” said Rick Lyke of Charlotte, NC., a 47-year-old cancer survivor who founded Pints for Prostates earlier this year after successful prostate surgery. “The beer community is coming together to support Pints for Prostates and we’re going to be able to reach millions of men with a life saving message.”

All funds raised through the Pints for Prostates campaign go directly to Us TOO International, a 501(c)3 group recognized by Charity Navigator for its effectiveness and efficiency as a charity organization. Founded in 1990, Us TOO is based in a suburb of Chicago and has 325 local chapters. One in six men is at risk of developing prostate cancer during their life time. Approximately 200,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S. this year.

“Early detection is the key to fighting prostate cancer and we believe Pints for Prostates can help us reach men who might otherwise miss this critical message,” said Thomas Kirk, President and CEO of Us TOO International. “The idea of reaching men about health issues through beer sounded a little strange at first, but it fits perfectly with our mission to educate and empower men and their family members so they can take an active role in their health care.”

Pints for Prostates, in conjunction with some of Us TOO’s 325 local chapters, is planning a number of events during September, which is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and October. You can get more information about the campaign at www.ustoo.org/pints.

Celebrating its second century, Rogue Ales is an Artisan Varietal Brewery founded in Oregon in 1988, as one of America’s first 50 microbreweries. Rogue has 550+ awards for taste and quality and is available nationally and in 20 countries.

The good folks at Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery in Charlotte, N.C., tapped their Oktoberfest seasonal beer this past Thursday and used the event to help raise funds for the Pints for Prostates campaign.

Rock Bottom donated raffle prizes and Us TOO International had a table set up with information about prostate cancer. The Charlotte Beer Club turned out, along with local homebrewers and workers from Uptown offices out for a meal after work. The event raised nearly $600, which goes to fund the efforts of Us TOO International as it supports, educates and advocates for men with prostate cancer and their families.

Thanks do out to Dave Gonzalez, head brewer, and everyone with Rock Bottom for supporting the event.

As far as logos go, it’s a small one — but it sure is fast!

Thanks to Dan Pikarsky and the folks at Tuttle Motorsports, Pints for Prostates is part of the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals taking place in Dallas, Texas.

Steve Torrence drives the top fuel dragster, which is sponsored by Vis Viva “Living Force Energy” drink. Speeds in the top NHRA class exceed 300 miles per hour. You can catch the action this weekend on ESPN2.

The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium is holding annual Fall Beer Festivals in Austin and Fort Worth, Texas, in the coming weeks that will help spread the word about the importance of PSA testing and prostate health screenings. A portion of the proceeds from the events will be donated to the Pints for Prostates campaign to support the efforts of Us TOO International.

The Austin event is taking place on Oct. 4th from Noon to 10 p.m. at The Triangle, 815 W. 47th St. in Austin.

The Fort Worth event is being held on Oct. 11 from 2 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. is the Flying Saucer parking lot at Sundance Square.

Beer fans attending these events will get to sample a range of great beers. Pints for Prostates will have an information booth set up at both festivals.