For The Inquirer But here in Philadelphia, there is another “dude” and he has a strong passion: He hates cancer.
“The Dude Hates Cancer” () is the charity event Graduate Hospital resident Tim Maxwell established in 2006 as a way of dealing with the helplessness he felt after his father was diagnosed with leukemia. The name was a shout-out to a movie that was a favorite of Maxwell’s and it was a way to attract attention. “We get a lot of questions about it,” Maxwell said. “I sometimes regret naming it that because I have to keep answering the question.” Yet the catchy name may have had the desired effect: In the last three years, the event has grown dramatically. Maxwell is preparing for its third annual bowling tournament and benefit concert Saturday, when he aims to pull in $25,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Lauren Lawson, the society’s special-events coordinator, said the Dude has a chance of making that goal. She said he already has raised about half that amount. “A lot of the times, with events like this, it comes down to the day of the event,” Lawson said. “We have a lot of different national campaigns, but clubs and organizations like these really help us out. There’s no cost to us and it’s really just people dedicated to the mission who want to do something to give back.”
The day-long bowling tournament will be held at North Bowl Lounge n Lanes, 909 N. Second St. Preregistration is required. The concert, featuring the Hustle, Chris Kasper and Jeremy Hollis, and the after-party start at 9 p.m. at Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave. Tickets are $10. Information: .