CF, West collaborate to fight cancer

By: Hannah Sanderman

Those who walk into the CFHS gym for the basketball game at 7:30 p.m on Friday, Feb. 12, and glance over to the student section will set their eyes on a sea of blue.

Students will be wearing the blue shirts designed for this year’s Coaches vs. Cancer fundraiser, which Sophomore Leadership is organizing.

Sophomore Leadership adviser and math teacher Linsey Zimmerman remembered last year’s Coaches vs. Cancer T-shirt success when thinking about ways to raise money for this year’s fundraiser.

“Last year the Sophomore Leadership group had designed a shirt and raised quite a bit of funds for this event, so we thought we could try it again,” Zimmerman said.

And looking closely at the T-shirt design on that upcoming night in February, attendees  will notice the CFHS school logo is not the only one that makes an appearance.

Traci Lake, social studies teacher and co-adviser of Sophomore Leadership, explained for this year’s fundraiser they will be teaming up with Waterloo West High School.

“This year’s event is a collaborative effort with Waterloo West to raise money for the American Cancer Society,” Lake said. “Each school will be hosting its own event and fundraisers to raise money to be both competitive in who can raise more money, but knowing in the end that all of it is for a good cause.”

Even though Cedar Falls High School is teaming up with Waterloo West for this fundraiser, both teams will be competitors on the court on Feb. 12.

“We liked the incorporation of the ball, the ‘vs’ in the middle to show Coaches vs. Cancer and that the game is CF vs West,” Zimmerman said. “They also all agreed on keeping the same quote as last year’s shirt on the back, as it went well with the event. It shows that even though we are competing with West on the basketball court, we all are supportive of the fight against cancer.”

The color was chosen to support prostate cancer, and the halftime speaker is math teacher Rich Strike, who recently overcame prostate cancer.

“They [Sophomore Leadership] asked Mr. Strike to speak at the event due to his battle against prostate cancer and wanted to show him their support as well,” Zimmerman said.

Anyone can also continue to show support at the game by stopping by the bake sale, bidding on the autographed basketball from the UNI men’s basketball team in the silent auction or donating $1 to join the Fans vs. Cancer wall.

Leading up to the game, supporters can order a Coaches vs. Cancer shirt for $10 and pay for it in the main office by Feb. 2. There will also be a bake sale throughout the day on Friday, Feb. 5 in the Tiger’s Den.

All of the proceeds from the Coaches vs. Cancer event will be donated to the UNI Relay for Life and then sent to the American Cancer Society.

“Everyone knows someone who has been affected by this terrible disease, whether it was them personally, someone very close to them​ or even a friend of a friend,” Lake said. “The more money we can raise to support this fight, the sooner we can have an option for a cure or knowledge on preventative actions we can take to stop the onset or spread of this disease.”

Zimmerman said she wants students and staff to get involved in this fundraiser any way they can.

“Cancer has affected many of our lives,” Zimmerman said. “Supporting this cause will help fund more research and support those fighting this daily battle. Not only can we show our support monetarily, we can also show those fighting that they are not alone. This is just a small way students and staff can give to those in need at a very difficult time in their lives.”

Cedar Falls had a number of personal connections to the fight against cancer this year. Check out these stories for more details:

Teachers making speedy recoveries from recent cancer surgeries
Standing for Strike: Students and staff show support for math teacher facing cancer
Men’s golf team teams up against cancer
Study suggest consumers should balance bacon, other processed meat with cancer risks

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