HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The Coker College women's basketball team will host a "Play 4Kay" game during its contest with Converse College on Saturday, Feb. 16. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
"Play 4Kay" is a weeklong initiative across women's basketball to raise breast cancer awareness and funds for research across campuses, in communities and beyond. It has raised over $2 million to support women's cancer research. The initiative is in honor of Kay Yow, a former women's basketball coach who lost her battle with breast cancer in 2009. All proceeds from the week benefit the Kay Yow Breast Cancer Foundation.
"This is such an important cause, and I'm glad Coker College and our program are participating in it," said head women's basketball coach Jenny Finora. "Kay Yow had an enormous impact on the fight against cancer. Hopefully, by playing in this game, it will help raise awareness of this awful disease and how we can continue battling it."
Coker has participated in the cause, formerly known as WBCA Pink Zone, since its inception in 2007. The Cobras will wear pink shirts during warmups and pink socks during the game.
Donations will be collected during Saturday's game, and they can go directly to the cause or be donated with a specific person in mind. Finora has established a donaction account for friends of Coker. To donate to this group, visit http://bit.ly/YRtvSH.
For additional information on the event or to donate, contact Finora at 843-383-8075 or jfinora@coker.edu.
About The Kay Yow Cancer Fun
The Kay Yow Cancer Fund, in partnership with the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and The V Foundation, is a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization committed to being a part of finding an answer in the fight against women's cancers through raising money for scientific research, assisting the underserved and unifying people for a common cause.
Kay Yow, former North Carolina State University head women's basketball coach, was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987, and passed away on January 24, 2009, after facing her third bout with the disease. With the creation of the Fund, Kay hoped to raise money to further cutting-edge research conducted by the nation's top doctors and medical experts to allow more and more cancer patients to have access to experimental drugs and clinical trials. Since the majority of these research projects are privately funded, these researchers desperately need our support in order for them to continue to make strides in finding a cure for cancer.
To date, the Fund has raised over $7 million in support of women's cancer research. Due to our unique partnership with The V Foundation, we utilize their Scientific Advisory Board to ensure your donations support the cancer research projects with the most potential. Thus, grant recipients funded by the Kay Yow Cancer Fund have remarkable standing within the scientific community.
Kay felt as if coaches not only shared a profession but a community. It is with this communal mentality that Kay, despite her humility, served as a platform to rally a nation of coaches to be a part of one team against one opponent – cancer. Her battle against breast cancer was fought in the public arena with the hope of inspiring others to be a part of a greater cause. Kay's vision for the Fund encompasses not only her wish to fund cancer research but also her desire for coaches to enrich their lives by serving others.
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Coker College readies undergraduates for personal and professional success through a distinctive four-year program that emphasizes a practical application of the liberal arts as well as hands-on and discussion-based learning within and beyond the classroom. Coker is ranked among the "Best Colleges" in the South by U.S. News & World Report as well as The Princeton Review. Located in Hartsville, S.C., Coker is within two hours of the cultural, financial and recreational resources of Charlotte, Columbia, Charleston and Myrtle Beach.