January 9, 2009

Dear Friend of the Foundation,

At this time of the year, most of us take time to reflect on what we have accomplished and where we might be headed for 2009. Indeed, we at the Martell Foundation have been thinking about this as well.

2008 was a very busy year with sixteen successful events held across the country, including two inaugural events: our first New York Gourmet Dinner and the 1st Annual Dunkin Donuts Fun Run/Walk in Nashville. Both were terrific events, bringing in many new donors to the Foundation, and now will be annual fundraisers.

Looking forward to 2009, our 34th year, we have already organized a new Gala Awards Dinner in Nashville. On March 25th, we will be honoring Former Vice President Al Gore, Orrin Ingram, Frances Preston and Dr. Hal Moses.

Raising funds is only half of what we do. As a mission-focused charity we are especially proud to report on the outstanding accomplishments our researchers have achieved utilizing our funds. It is also important to be aware of how much more money our funds help bring in for research. It has been estimated that the $225 million in Martell funds donated to researchers has been leveraged or matched with such sources as the National Cancer Institute totaling more than $1 billion in additional research funds. This factor significantly multiplies your donation and our effectiveness in cancer and AIDS research.

A few of our recent successes are:

• Martell-funded research created and implemented the worldwide standard of care for treating breast cancer and prostate cancer;
• Martell-supported researchers reduced childhood deaths due to neuroblastoma from 80% to less than 30%, and we continue our support to reach 0% mortality;
• Martell was the sole supporter at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center that discovered the killer prostate cancer gene. We are now funding research to develop a targeted drug to block or turn off this deadly gene.

This year has also brought much discourse on the many issues and valid concerns of internet companies who rate charities. It is reminiscent of the business rating services that recently missed the mark with banks, mortgage backed securities and investment firms. A thoughtful article on this important topic was recently published in the Wall Street Journal and we have attached a copy. It is worth reading and may eventually lead to a balanced approach that looks at the progress a charity has made towards its mission, how the money is actually raised and how it is allocated to support its mission.

As an event-based fundraising charity, we will have higher fundraising expenses than endowed or major donor-supported charities. In short, the Martell Foundation must spend money to make money to support our cancer research. In the upside-down world of internet charity rating, some would actually rate us higher if we raised less money by doing fewer events.

The fundraising and program facts, unmassaged by a rating service, for the past three years are as follows:

As you can see, for the past three years, 95% of our funds raised have gone directly to research.

Although we support very sophisticated research and hold many major fundraising events across the country, we are not a faceless foundation. We help people with life-threatening cancers. We help them get a second opinion by a world-renowned expert, or get an appointment with the best doctor to treat their specific cancer, or secure access to specialized, high-tech treatment at a leading hospital that they could not otherwise get into.

Thousands of people are alive today because they reached out to us and we were able to help them with their dire, life-threatening situation. Perhaps you, a loved one, or someone you know has been helped by the Martell Foundation. Ultimately this is what we are all about: saving lives through research and connecting people in need with the greatest cancer doctors in the world. We deeply appreciate your support, and will always be here for you, as you have been there for us.

We extend to you our best wishes for a healthy and prosperous New Year!