“Tonight, I play for my grandpa."
“Tonight, I play for a very special person in my family and in memory of my grandpa.”
“I play in honor of my grandma, who won her battle with breast cancer.”
“I play for all the nurses caring for cancer patients.”
“… for anyone in the community battling cancer.”
“… my aunt.”
“… my mom.”
Every player on the Menominee Lady Maroons basketball team had at least one person affected by cancer on their minds ahead of their annual Pink Out game, which raised funds to support the Cancer Center at Aurora Medical Center – Bay Area.
The theme for the night was "Together WE FIGHT." They set a goal to raise $5,000 and even secured an anonymous donor to match every dollar raised throughout the night.
The team set up a DIY fundraising page through Aurora Health Care Foundation's website and sent the link to family, friends and community members who wanted to support their efforts but were unable to attend the game.
They got off to a fantastic start when $2,000 in donations came in through that page thanks to the generosity of nurses, doctors and other donors. The team went on to raise an additional $5,580 through pre-game t-shirt sales as well as fundraising efforts at the game including a silent auction, 50/50 raffle and bake sale.
In the end, the team far surpassed their $5,000 goal by raising a record total of $15,080!
“As a mom of a senior, I have been a part of many Pink Out events in both basketball and volleyball. I am always astounded by the way the community shows up and the way the girls proudly represent our sports programs and their community,” shared Becky Bouty, one of the parent leads who helped coordinate the event. “We are so proud of the efforts we made this year and hope the money goes a long way to helping our neighbors and friends.”
“I’m a registered nurse in the medical surgical unit at the hospital,” added Tonya Barker, another parent lead. “Caring for community members battling cancer and being a part of the Pink Out Night fundraising efforts are very rewarding experiences. I am always amazed by the generosity of the community, and this year was by far one of the most successful. We played Peshtigo, which turned out to be the perfect match. It was great to see both communities coming together.”
We are grateful to the team, the donors who supported them, and this year's parent leads: Tonya Barker, Becky Bouty and Marissa Axtell, who pulled all these efforts together.
How you can help
You can support cancer care at Aurora Medical Center – Bay Area or at a hospital in your community. You can also set up a fundraising page to support a cause that’s meaningful to you.