NC State Women’s Basketball Coach Kay Yow is touched by the attendance at the Hoops for Hope game. |
Sunday, January 28, 2007 was indeed a special day in the Triangle. Hoops for Hope, a breast cancer awareness and fund raising event, took place at historic Reynolds Coliseum on the campus of NC State University.
It featured NC State taking on Boston College in an ACC women’s basketball showdown.
And to say the second annual game was a success would be the understatement of this new century.
The crowd gives Coach Yow a standing ovation as she enters the arena. |
A special survivor celebration takes place at half-time. |
Hoops for Hope is a joint venture between NC State, Wolfpack Sports Marketing and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure. This event, under the direction of Wolfpack Sports Marketing’s Brenda Steen, has become a year-round project. It takes meticulous planning between various groups and volunteers. With Steen calling the plays as head coach, Hoops for Hope has already taken its place as a key event in the Triangle fundraising landscape.
The Hoops for Hope fact sheet:
- Nearly 8,000 fans attended Hoops for Hope, a huge number for a women’s basketball game.
- More than 100 breast cancer survivors attended, and were honored in an emotional halftime ceremony.
- This year’s Hoops for Hope Silent Auction tripled the total money raised at last year’s event. 100% of the proceeds from the auction went directly to Komen.
- Numerous volunteers began their day at 8:30am to help with everything from the event setup to distributing 80 boxes of t-shirts to all fans attending the game.
- Five dollars from every ten dollar ticket was donated to Komen.
- Hoops for Hope raised more than $45,000 for the local affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure in just day and more funds are still coming in.
Heidi Hourigan, Director of Marketing for Time Warner Cable (left) presents a check for $43,820.00 from NC State Athletics to Jeanne Peck, Founder of the NC Affiliate for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure. |
Coach Yow (right) receives the Courage Angel pin from Susan Helmich (left) after the game. Looking on is Frank Jolly Ragsdale from Jolly’s Jewelers. Jolly’s was a key sponsor of this event thanks to the partnership between MIX 101.5 and WSM. |
Another fact that can’t be ignored is this: breast cancer affects 212,000 women each year in this country and claims 40,000 lives. But thanks to Komen and events like Hoops for Hope, we are all united in battling this dreaded disease.
Part of the hardworking WSM staff is captured on camera, including (l to r): Sarah Stoneman, Evan Boutwell, Brian Asbill, Brenda Steen, Kristi Butler, Eric Quimby & Amy Baker. |
And then there is the Kay Yow factor. NC State’s Hall of Fame Coach, and person, is a breast cancer survivor. Coach Yow’s been an inspiration to many with her very public battle against breast cancer in recent months. Though she was forced to take a medical leave of absence, Coach Yow staged a triumphant return to the sidelines in time to coach in the Hoops for Hope game.
And, lest we forget, NC State beat Boston College on the court by the lopsided score of 64-46. Could the game have turned out any other way?
It takes commitment to make Hoops for Hope what it is. And the staff of Wolfpack Sports Marketing is committed to assisting Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Plans are already being made for next year’s Hoops for Hope game. Some day, the hope is that the game will outgrow Reynolds Coliseum and move to the RBC Center, where even more fans can turn out.
The student band got into the t-shirt action. |
Emotional survivors take the court during halftime. |
The battle against breast cancer is being won every day. So remember; One heart, one mind…we are finding the cure together!
Thanks to WSM’s Bruce Weber for this capcom story & to WSM’s Brenda Steen for these capcom photos & captions.
