The Ventura College Women’s Basketball team, in conjunction with the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), will be hosting its third annual WBCA Pink Zone® (formerly “Think Pink”) breast cancer awareness game on Wednesday, January 20, 2010. The Pirates will face Los Angeles Pierce College at 5:00 p.m. at the Ventura College Athletic Event Center. The Ventura College men’s team will play a 7:00 p.m. game, also against LA Pierce.
There will be activities in promotion of breast cancer awareness, including a silent auction benefiting Ribbons of Life Breast Cancer Foundation from 4-7 p.m. Resource tables will be set up from various agencies around the community. Other activities include a bake sale in honor of those diagnosed with breast cancer sponsored by the Ventura College Psychology Club, a raffle in support of Ribbons of Life, and honorary starters, all breast cancer patients/survivors, will be introduced before the game. All proceeds from the event will be donated to Ribbons of Life (www.ribbonsventura.org).
WBCA Pink Zone® began in 2007 as an initiative to raise breast cancer awareness in women's basketball on campuses and in communities. The late Kay Yow, former North Carolina State University head women's basketball coach, served as the catalyst for the initiative after her third recurrence of breast cancer in 2006. In 2007, more than 120 schools unified for this effort and helped make the inaugural year a success. In 2008, over 1,200 teams and organizations participated, reaching over 830,000 fans and raising over $930,000 for breast cancer awareness and research. The 2009 campaign raised over $1.3 million, reached over 912,000 fans, unified more than 1,600 participating teams and organizations, with over 56 schools breaking attendance records at their event.
The Ribbons of Life Breast Cancer Foundation was born out of need. The purpose of this Foundation is to serve as a "bridge" to the Ventura County community while serving as a clearinghouse of information for all who are affected by breast cancer. Ribbons of Life is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public benefit corporation established in November 2007 as a public and charitable service that focuses entirely on breast cancer and its challenges. It consists of a community of cultures, genders, and ages devoted to providing education, advocacy, and social support.
Ribbons of Life is not a national or global organization but a local "grassroots" organization created and run by volunteers from a variety of professions and socio-economic backgrounds. Anyone who feels they have something positive to provide is welcome to participate. Ribbons of Life taps into a community of knowledge accessed from a group of "advisory professionals" who are interested in answering questions that relate to breast cancer and their particular specialty. If answers from a particular specialist are needed, a few calls can be made to gain further information or referrals.
This is the third year for the WBCA Pink Zone® event at Ventura College. Inspired by the memory of Cherie Hampton Tsui, who passed away from cancer in 2007, the team has raised over $10,000 for Ribbons of Life over the past two years. More importantly, the event has raised the awareness of breast cancer, early detection, and survivability of the disease throughout the community. Sponsors for this year’s event include the Ventura College Foundation, Home Field Sports, and the Ventura County Star. |
