Press Release
2026-04-13
CancerCare® Announces Its 2026 National Gala
Honoring BioNTech with the Dorothy Schachne Corporate Achievement Award
CancerCare®, the leading national nonprofit organization providing free professional support services to anyone affected by cancer, is excited to announce its 2026 National Gala, which will be held on Tuesday, April 21, at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City.
At this year’s gala, CancerCare will present the Dorothy Schachne Corporate Achievement Award to BioNTech, in recognition of the company’s contributions to supporting people diagnosed with cancer.
“We are pleased to honor BioNTech at this year’s gala,” said Christine Verini, CEO of CancerCare. “For more than 80 years, CancerCare has focused on what matters most to patients and their families by providing free services to help them cope with the emotional and practical challenges of cancer. Our national gala is a vital way to raise funds for these programs, and we are deeply grateful to BioNTech for all that they do to support our community.”
“We are honored to receive this recognition from CancerCare,” said Fatma Ocak, Senior Vice President and General Manager, US Oncology at BioNTech. “At BioNTech, we aim to transform how cancer is treated, and every innovation we pursue starts with early, meaningful engagement with patients. CancerCare's dedication to helping individuals and families navigate the realities of cancer strengthens the entire care community. Working together, we can ensure that patients remain at the center of progress.”
The 2026 CancerCare National Gala is made possible by the generous support of our sponsors. CancerCare would like to thank its 2026 Gala Chair, Susan Smirnoff, Auction Co-Chairs, Joan Brower and Marsha Palanci, as well as the Gala Committee: Annette Alvarez Pizzo, Paul M. Friedman, Kay Hsu, Ellen Negrin, Michael Parisi, Harvey Shapiro, Eleanor Sigona and Burt & Susan Zweigenhaft.
This year’s gala Premier Sponsor is the Schachne Family. The Presenting Sponsor is BioNTech. Leadership Sponsors are Collection XiiX, Kay Hsu & Anthony Zaret, and the Lauber-Palanci Family. Mastercard is the Official Auction Sponsor & Premier Payment Partner. The Gala Gold Sponsors include Gilead, J&J, Merck, Lori & Michael Parisi, Pfizer, PhRMA, and Susan Smirnoff & Kirk Zachary.
Learn more about CancerCare’s National Gala.
About CancerCare®
For over 80 years, CancerCare has empowered millions of people affected by cancer through free counseling, support groups, educational resources, advocacy and financial assistance. Our oncology social workers improve the lives of people diagnosed with cancer, caregivers, survivors and the bereaved by addressing their emotional, practical and financial challenges. To learn more, visit www.cancercare.org.
About BioNTech
Biopharmaceutical New Technologies (BioNTech) is a global next generation immunotherapy company pioneering novel investigative therapies for cancer and other serious diseases. BioNTech exploits a wide array of computational discovery and therapeutic modalities with the intent of rapid development of novel biopharmaceuticals. Its diversified portfolio of oncology product candidates aiming to address the full continuum of cancer includes mRNA cancer immunotherapies, next-generation immunomodulators and targeted therapies such as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and innovative chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies. Based on its deep expertise in mRNA development and in-house manufacturing capabilities, BioNTech and its collaborators are researching and developing multiple mRNA vaccine candidates for a range of infectious diseases alongside its diverse oncology pipeline. BioNTech has established a broad set of relationships with multiple global and specialized pharmaceutical collaborators, including Bristol Myers Squibb, Duality Biologics, Fosun Pharma, Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, Genmab, MediLink, OncoC4, Pfizer and Regeneron.