Manatee charity donates $2 million to The V Foundation to aid pediatric cancer research
Mark and Cindy Pentecost and The Pentecost Foundation have donated $2 million to the V Foundation for Cancer Research to fight pediatric cancer.
The Pentecosts founded It Works!, a direct marketer of health supplements, skin care products and body shaping aids in Michigan, and moved the company to Manatee County in 2011.
Prior to starting It Works!, Mark Pentecost was a high school teacher and basketball coach in Allegan, Mich., and Cindy was a stay-at-home mom with their three children.
The company is now located in a five-story building at 908 Riverside Drive on the Palmetto riverfront.
The Pentecosts presented a $2 million check to Dick and Lorraine Vitale on Nov. 17. A matching challenge leveraged the Pentecosts’ donation, and an additional $3 million was raised for a total of $5 million.
Dick Vitale has held an annual gala in Sarasota for the past 15 years, raising $37 million to date for cancer research.
The V Foundation for Cancer Research was founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano, legendary North Carolina State University basketball coach and ESPN commentator. Since 1993, the foundation has funded more than $250 million in cancer research grants nationwide.
The Pentecosts have made a number of large charitable donations since arriving in Manatee County.
Earlier this year, the It Works! Gives Back Foundation donated $26,000 to Samaritan’s Purse, an organization providing spiritual and physical aid to people around the world. With the onset of COVID-19, Samaritan’s Purse’s focus is to set up field hospitals in Europe and the United States to assist with health care relief on the front lines.
In 2019, the Pentecosts donated $17 million to Bradenton Christian School, 3304 43rd St. W., to build a new gymnasium with up to 60,000 square feet of space, along with new fields for soccer, football, volleyball and baseball.
Other organizations that have benefited from Pentecost grants include 4-H Clubs, the FFA, Meals on Wheels and a foundation to fight human trafficking.
For more information on It Works!, visit www.myitworks.com.
For information about Dick Vitale’s Annual Gala or to make a donation, contact Mary Kenealy Events at 941-350-0580, email rebecca@marykenealyevents.com or donate at v.org/donate4kids.
