Sept. 3, 2008
ATLANTA, Ga. – The Georgia Tech volleyball team will partner with the Atlanta Chapter of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Breast Cancer Foundation for the third straight year in an effort to raise awareness and funds to help fight the cause of breast cancer.
The Yellow Jackets will “Dig for the Cure” Oct. 3 against the Florida State Seminoles in Georgia Tech’s home conference opener.
“This has been a great event for us the last two years,” head coach Bond Shymansky said. “I know that breast cancer will, at some point, touch the lives of every player on our team, so we need for them to be aware and fight the fight now.”
Parents, fans, businesses and coworkers may pledge amounts for every dig the Yellow Jackets (as a team) record against Florida State, or they can make flat donations to the cause. Over the last two years, Georgia Tech has raised over $13,000 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
Pledges and donations for “Dig for the Cure” can be made this weekend as fans enter O’Keefe Gym or by contacting Jennifer Carey in the Georgia Tech Volleyball Office (jcarey@athletics.gatech.edu, 404-894-5450). Members of the 2008 Georgia Tech volleyball team and staff have been collecting pledges over the last four weeks, leading up to the match on Oct. 3.
As part of the fundraiser, Georgia Tech will wear pink jerseys designed by Russell Athletic and auction off all jerseys online following the conclusion of the match. Fans may participate in the online auction by visiting RamblinWreck.com, clicking on “Fanzone” and going to “Auctions.” Bidding began on Monday, October 6th and will close on Monday, October 13th at 5 pm EST.
Additionally, the Yellow Jackets will raffle off multiple packages that include football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball tickets in addition to weekend stays at the nearby Regency Suites Hotel. All proceeds from the raffles will go directly to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. More details will be available at O’Keefe Gym during the Regency Suites/Georgia Tech Classic this weekend.
Through the “Dig for the Cure” program, volleyball teams and coaches from around the country have helped raise over $340,000 over the last five years for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. All money raised by the Yellow Jackets and every other participating team goes directly to the Komen Foundation’s local affiliate in their community.
The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation was established in 1982 by Nancy Brinker to honor the memory of her sister, Susan G. Komen, who died from breast cancer at the age of 36. Today, the Foundation is an international organization with a network of hundreds of thousands of volunteers working through local affiliates and events like the Komen Race for the Cure® to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease. Together with its Affiliate Network, corporate partners and generous donors, the Komen Foundation raises more than $275 million annually for the fight against breast cancer.
For more information, call the National Toll-Free Breast Care Helpline at 1.800 I’M AWARE® (1.800.462.9273) or visit www.komen.org.
