Area athletes focus on raising awareness and money for cancer in October

[October 31, 2017] 

LINCOLN

As the month of October comes to a close it is important to look back on the area athletes and their involvement in various fundraising efforts to raise awareness and money for cancer. Local sports teams at all levels participated in events and here is a rundown of those who raised money:

The Lincoln Community High School Boys Soccer Team hosted a Kick Cancer Night and despite the chilly, raining weather a terrific crowd showed up in support of a little girl from Atlanta who is battling cancer. At the time of the game, the little girl was in the hospital receiving treatments and therefore she was unable to make that night’s event. She did, however, attend a game prior to the Kick Cancer Night and the soccer team rallied around her in support. The team and the fans raised $1,966 for the little girl through raffles and a pork chop dinner held on her behalf. The soccer team was proud to award that precious girl the money with the intent that it be used for a family trip to the Smoky Mountains in the future.

The Lincoln Community High School Girls Volleyball Team hosted a Volley for the Cure match and the proceeds from that benefited the Susan G. Komen Foundation. The team raised $1,208 through raffles and donations. Visual Ink Productions of Lincoln also presented a check for $351 to the volleyball team for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. This money was raised through the sale of t-shirts that Visual Ink Productions designed and sold on behalf of the Volley for the Cure match.

The Lincoln College women’s volleyball team also donated the proceeds from the admission gate to the Susan G. Komen Foundation during a match this month. Coach Mark Tippett said, “We have been supportive of Breast Cancer Awareness through a Dig Pink match for several seasons now and I am proud of the way our campus has embraced this effort. Our student government got involved, which was a big help. We had a nice crowd on hand to make this another successful event.”

The Mount Pulaski High School Girls Volleyball Team also hosted a Volley for the Cure match during October. Since the community did not have anyone in particular battling cancer this year, the team decided to surprise the father of player Savannah Moore with a check for $811 to help with medical expenses. Savannah’s dad, Terry Moore, was injured in the explosion at Treu Body Works of Lincoln earlier this year.

Finally at the elementary school level, the Mount Pulaski Zion Lutheran School Volleyball Team collected $200 in Wednesday chapel donations and presented that money to Trinity Lutheran School of Springfield during their cancer night volleyball game. A second grade girl at Trinity Lutheran School has a mother who is terminally ill with cancer and the money will be used to help continue to pay for the tuition for the little girl. Mount Pulaski Zion Lutheran Volleyball Coach Heather Murphy knew of this situation when her former college volleyball teammate and the current coach at Trinity Lutheran, Michelle Gilman Cox, contacted her in advance and let her know of the situation. Donna Vaughan also donated a cake, which was raffled off and Helen Schmidt donated decorated cookies to be raffled off. Money from t-shirt sales was also donated to the little girl’s family.

What a tremendous and successful effort by all those involved in raising money and awareness for cancer in the month of October.

[Teena Lowery]