Shooting for a Cure has now raised over $100,000 in the fight against cancer over the last eight years.
The Pembroke Girls Basketball team has led the charge and has been fundraising and accepting donations all year long in preparation for Thursday nights game against the Notre Dame Lady Irish. The final score in the game was 50-31 in favor of Notre Dame.
No matter the score, the community showed up in force on a blustery cold night to raise awareness and funds for the fight against breast cancer and survivors were recognized at half time.
This year they have raised over $28,000.
In 2011, Pembroke Dragon basketball player Brianna Johnson and her teammates wanted to help raise funds for Coach Ron Funke’s wife Toni who was diagnosed with cancer.
The girls approached their coach Mike Wilson about doing a
‘Pink Game’ to raise money for Roswell Park Cancer Institute and breast cancer awareness in Funke’s honor.
“When you look back 7 years ago when we started this game, it was a smaller crowd, we had one prize, sheet pizzas and water, “says Wilson.
They raised $4,000 in their first year.
The event has now come full circle.
Brianna Johnson is now doing cancer research at Roswell.
“They just hired her, her intake meeting is tomorrow, so when we are down presenting our check to the Roswell staff, Brianna is going to be there signing up to be a member of that team. With her on that research team, they are going to find a cure for cancer,” says Wilson.
