Volkswagen Teams Up With Stupid Cancer for "Get Busy Living" Road Trip

HERNDON, Va., March 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of a new partnership, Volkswagen of America, Inc. and Stupid Cancer (aka the I'm Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation) have embarked on a cross-country road trip to raise awareness in support of young adults affected by cancer, and to empower the young adult cancer community to "get busy living."

Volkswagen has provided a new, co-branded 2012 Beetle Turbo to power the "Stupid Cancer/Get Busy Living Road Trip" from New York to Las Vegas, culminating at The 5th Annual OMG! Cancer Summit for Young Adults ("OMG2012"), an oncology conference and social networking event for the young adult cancer movement. Volkswagen will serve as the lead automotive sponsor of OMG2012, which takes place March 30th through April 1st at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas.

Buckled into the Volkswagen Beetle, two young adult cancer advocates, including one documentary filmmaker, are off on a 10-day, 10-city tour meeting with the organization's many volunteer-led chapters, organizing community events and filming the stories of local young adult cancer survivors and caregivers.

Fans can track the team's progress online at http://StupidCancerRoadTrip.org , which features daily video webisodes and real-time social media feeds from YouTube, Facebook, Twitter (#vwdasroadtrip), Tumblr and Instagram. The entire series will be presented live at OMG2012.

"Volkswagen is proud to partner with such a pioneering motivator as Stupid Cancer in steering what is a much needed and powerful movement," said Mike Beamish, executive vice president of human resources, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. "We are glad to lend our vehicles and support to help carry this organization's uplifting message to the young adult cancer community." 

During OMG2012, Stupid Cancer and Volkswagen will present the "Stupid Cancer/Get Busy Living" Survivor Award to a young adult who has challenged the status quo and overcome the odds to embody the spirit and mission of Stupid Cancer. Throughout the road trip, nominations will be submitted to a judging panel and public vote to determine the winner, who will be presented with a two-year lease of a 2012 Passat TDI. The public can visit http://getbusylivingaward.org/vote to read finalists' stories and vote for the winner.

"We could not be more pleased to have found a corporate partner in Volkswagen," said Matthew Zachary, founder and CEO, Stupid Cancer. "Their brand, their passion and their commitment to social good are in perfect alignment with our mission to help young adults fight cancer and win."

The Stupid Cancer/Get Busy Living Road Trip schedule includes the following stops:

About Stupid Cancer
Stupid Cancer (aka the I'm Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation) is a non-profit organization that empowers young adults affected by cancer through innovative and award-winning programs and services. We are the nation's largest support community for this underserved population and serve as a bullhorn for the young adult cancer movement. Our charter is to ensure that no one goes unaware of the age-appropriate support resources they are entitled to so they can get busy living. For more information, visit http://stupidcancer.org.

About Volkswagen of America, Inc.
Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen's operations in the United States include research and development, parts and vehicle processing, parts distribution centers, sales, marketing and service offices, financial service centers, and its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Volkswagen is one of the world's largest producers of passenger cars and Europe's largest automaker. Volkswagen sells the Beetle, Eos, Golf, GTI, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Passat, CC, Tiguan, Touareg and Routan vehicles through approximately 600 independent U.S. dealers.

SOURCE Volkswagen of America, Inc.