UPEI’s 16th annual Shoot for the Cure will take place on January 26
UPEI Athletics and Recreation will host the sixteenth annual Shoot for the Cure fundraiser on Thursday, January 26, when the Women’s Basketball Panthers take on the University of New Brunswick Reds at 6 pm on their home court. The event was originally scheduled for January 13, but had to be postponed due to weather conditions.
Organized in collaboration with the U SPORTS Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Association, the fundraising initiative raises money for the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) and other related local and provincial charities to help fight breast cancer. Since the fall of 2007, Shoot for the Cure has raised over $1.75 million in donations. These funds support gold-standard breast cancer research in areas of risk reduction, screening, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment.
“Nationally, Shoot for the Cure has been a huge success, gaining momentum each year with engagement and fundraising dollars. I hope we can pack the gym, and fans will consider either an in-person or online donation to this great cause,” said head coach Matt Gamblin.
The entire Panther team is involved in the local fundraising effort, led this year by student-athletes Lauren Rainford, Devon Lawlor, and Alicia Bowering. The team hopes to achieve their $2,000 fundraising goal by offering various ways for people to donate:
Free Throw Pledge: Choose a player from the team to sponsor and donate the amount of money for each free throw they make out of 100. Those interested in donating in this way can email Lauren at lmrainford@upei.ca.
Pink Paper Airplane Challenge: Spectators can donate $2 for a sheet of pink paper to make a paper airplane. During halftime, they will throw their paper airplanes from the baseline and the person whose airplane lands closest to the half-court line will receive a prize basket.
50-50 Draw: A draw will be held at the January 26 game, and all proceeds will be donated to the cause.
Donate online: Click the link to make a donation to Shoot for the Cure on the UPEI Panthers fundraising page.
“I’ve had the chance to be a part of and lead the Shoot for the Cure initiative for a few years now, learning a lot about the process along the way. Supporters of the program have always been a huge component of our success and we hope they continue to take part in the effort,” said Rainford. “Our game this Friday is the final wrap-up to our fundraising plan where we hope to create a fun and inviting environment with lots of interactive ways to be a part of the initiative. We hope our fans come out not only to support the team, but to support such an important cause that’s much bigger than basketball.”
Go Panthers Go!
