Cheers to $13,000
L&F Distributors and El Perro Grande Tequila Raise Glasses and Funds for TTUHSC El Paso
$13,000 pledged from October sales directly benefits El Pasoans in need by taking a bite out of cancer
EL PASO, Texas — In a spirited endeavor, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, L&F Distributors and El Perro Grande Tequila joined forces in October to transform every tequila toast into a lifeline for El Pasoans most in need.
L&F Distributors and El Perro Grande Tequila poured their hearts out by pledging to contribute $5 for every bottle of El Perro Grande tequila sold during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which concluded Oct. 31. Together, the companies raised $13,000 for TTUHSC El Paso and Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso. The funds will take a bite out of cancer by ensuring a healthy future for many in our Borderplex community through no-cost breast cancer mammograms and screenings
At Monday’s event, Lisa Peisen, Managing Partner of L&F Distributors West, discussed the impact of breast cancer.
“My grandmother passed away at 50, long before I had the chance to meet her,” said Peisen. “My memories of her are limited to the stories that have been shared with me over the years. Access to treatment and preventative care should not be restricted by financial barriers. Everyone deserves equal access to breast cancer screening and preventive care.”
Renard Johnson, founder of El Perro Grande Tequila, echoed Peisen’s call for broader access to screening services.
“El Perro Grande is proud to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month,” said Johnson. “We will continue to contribute to providing additional no-cost breast cancer screenings for those in need until the disease is eradicated and future risks are minimized.”
In our Borderplex community, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among Hispanic women. In 2023, an estimated 20,750 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in Hispanic women in the U.S., and an estimated 3,200 Hispanic women will die from breast cancer.
Early detection is the key to fighting breast cancer. Diagnostic tests, like mammograms, can identify the disease in its early stages. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an early diagnosis of breast cancer will improve a cancer warrior’s chance of surviving five more years by 99%.
Working in conjunction with the region’s promotores, TTUHSC El Paso will promote the free mammograms and screenings, which typically cost $185 per patient, to the local community. Several of the university’s programs, such as the Medical Student Run Clinic in the colonia of Sparks and TTP El Paso’s Breast Cancer Education, Screening and Navigation Program (BEST), will provide vital health care access in an effort to build a healthy community.
A History of Giving to Texas Tech Health El Paso
As Texas Tech Health El Paso champions, L&F Distributors and Renard Johnson have supported the university’s mission of closing gaps in health disparities and providing access to health care and education to residents of our Borderplex region.
L&F Distributors, under the ownership of the LaMantia family, have been longtime supporters of TTUHSC El Paso. In 2020, they collaborated with TTUHSC El Paso to introduce the Stars Scholarship Fund to support future health care professionals for the El Paso region, which has been historically underserved.
The LaMantia family and L&F Distributors played a pivotal role in providing a Hunt School of Nursing student with a complimentary one-year lease for a Nissan Kicks in 2021. L&F Distributors paid for the vehicle lease, allowing then-student Angela Lopez to focus on her studies. She graduated at the age of 19 and is serving the community as a nurse at El Paso Children’s Hospital.
In another instance of philanthropy, Johnson made a generous donation to the Hunt School of Dental Medicine in 2021 to create the Alvin T. and Louise E. Johnson Family Scholarship. The scholarship is named after his parents, who taught him the importance of giving back to the community.
Pour Some Love Year-Round
No need to wait for October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month to come back around – every day's a good day to fight cancer! Visit give2.ttuhscep.edu/screening and make your mark.
About Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso
TTUHSC El Paso is the only health sciences center on the U.S.-Mexico border and serves 108 counties in West Texas that have been historically underserved. It’s a designated Title V Hispanic-Serving Institution, preparing the next generation of health care heroes, 48% of whom identify as Hispanic and are often first-generation students.
Established as an independent university in the Texas Tech University System in 2013, TTUHSC El Paso is celebrating 10 years as a proudly diverse and uniquely innovative destination for education and research. According to a 2022 analysis, TTUHSC El Paso contributes $634.4 million annually to our Borderplex region’s economy.
With a mission of eliminating health care barriers and creating life-changing educational opportunities for Borderplex residents, TTUHSC El Paso has graduated over 2,000 doctors, nurses and researchers over the past decade, and will add dentists to its alumni beginning in 2025. For more information, visit ttuhscepimpact.org.