High school teams join cancer fight

Editor's note: Travis Calkins title has been corrected in the story. Registration for the Race for the Cure in Chaffee will be open Saturday morning.

If you're attending a high school sporting event in the Southeast Missouri area anytime soon, you might notice an overwhelming amount of the color pink.

In the past year, many local high schools have begun or carried on initiatives to raise cancer awareness by hosting events such as "pink up" games for local families and people affected by the disease.

"It gives back to our community and raises awareness for the fight against cancer," Chaffee athletic director Tyson Moyers said. "The girls on our team were really excited about doing something like this."

Chaffee High School hosted their inaugural Coaches vs. Cancer basketball game Feb. 10 against Meadow Heights.

The idea came from senior basketball player Jennifer Sutterfield who had seen "pink up" games at other schools. Her idea was to "pink up" the gymnasium by asking fans and students who attended the game to wear pink. Those who did got in to the game for free and instead made a small monetary donation.

"I've seen a lot of other schools do it, and I thought why not us?" Sutterfield said. "It's such a simple way to give back to those who really need help and support the most while they're fighting cancer."

Moyers liked the idea so much, he took it a step further. Instead of giving the proceeds to an organization, Moyers wanted to make a bigger impact by finding a local family who is battling cancer and needed money to provide treatment.

"They stay pretty low-key," said Moyers of the family who will benefit from Chaffee's event. "But the important thing is that we give them all the help and support they need in a tough time."

Players from both Chaffee and Meadow Heights wore pink jerseys donated by the Bank of Advance, which also donated money to the event.

The event was a success, and attendance numbers doubled in size. Chaffee's student organization Future Business Leaders of America plans to raise even more proceeds for the local family.

FBLA students will host their eighth annual Race for the Cure beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday at the high school. Registration will be open the Saturday morning prior to the race.

After the race, Chaffee will present a check to the family they have chosen to sponsor.

"We usually raise around $1,000 with an event like this," race organizer Travis Calkins said. "But the most important thing is that the money we raise goes to a deserving family in need."

Chaffee is not the only high school in the area to host an event to raise funds and awareness for cancer fighters. The Central girls swimming and diving team hosted an event for the first time this year, the Leopold volleyball has raised money for Relay for Life for years, and many other schools have joined in the tradition in recent years.

Jackson High School hosted a "blackout" night during one basketball game for the last two seasons. This year was different for the Indians.

In the last four years, the Jackson community saw two young people die from cancer. Brody Gard died of a brain tumor in 2010, and Nolan Weber lost a three-year battle with cancer in December.

The loss of life shocked the Jackson community, but it did not dwindle their spirits.

Instead, they turned their annual blackout games, which support cancer awareness, in to blackout week. The idea to have a weeklong event to raise money and support for those battling cancer came from Jackson basketball coach Darrin Scott. Scott, who lost his mother to cancer 12 years ago, knows firsthand how cancer affects people and felt the need to do more.

"We knew this was something that has affected everyone at some point in their lives," Scott said. "So we all kind of came together over the summer and decided to turn it into a weeklong event and really make this thing big."

Along with Jackson school officials, Scott organized and began planning events for blackout week.

Mandy Gard, mother of Brody, founded the BstronG Forever Foundation in memory of her son. Together, BstronG and Southeast Health sponsored Jackson's blackout week, which included a full slate of basketball games. One game was played each of the seven days. During the games, the school sold raffle tickets, St. Louis Cardinals baseball tickets, BstronG Forever shirts and bracelets and baked goods donated by parents and students.

One of the most successful events was the "miracle minute." During halftime of each junior high and high school basketball game, youth teams from the Jackson and Cape Girardeau areas had one minute to run in to the stands and collect money from fans attending the games.

The idea was a success in Jackson, which raised $1,100 from the miracle minutes and a total of $12,100 for cancer awareness and support.

The end of blackout week was moving for Scott. On the final night, Jackson held a silent auction. Scott wanted to do something to show the Gard and Weber families. Scott bid on and won a framed photo of Weber and Gard.

"It was just neat to know that I could do something that the families would appreciate and ultimately understand that we still remember and will never forget their kids," Scott said.