Sarah Swistak reports on the Penn State Pink Zone game and explains where the monies raised are going. Members of the Penn State Lady Lions basketball team also talk about their involvment.
Sarah's Story:
FROM THE TICKET SALES...TO THE T-SHIRTS...AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN....THE PENN STATE LADY LIONS HAVE MANAGED TO RAISE MORE THAN 110-THOUSAND DOLLARS TO BENEFIT THE CANCER RESOURCE CENTER THAT NOW BEARS THEIR NAME.
"This is such a beautiful center," said Lady LionTalia East. "I mean to come in and be able to see that families you know, definitely have a resource, because you know, they're going through a tough time, and to be able to come down and just calm down, and be able to look up some of the things to help the people surrounded by them who have cancer, it's just amazing. I love it."
THE LADY LION BASKETBALL CANCER RESOURCE CENTER OPENED...WITH PINK ZONE FUNDING...IN OCTOBER OF 2012. JUST A FEW MONTHS LATER, THE FOUNDATION FOR MOUNT NITTANY MEDICAL CENTER INVITED THE LADY LIONS TO A SPECIAL DONOR RECEPTION...TO THANK THEM FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS.
"I wanted our team to see, just the impact that we're having on a community that supports us in such a fine fashion," said Head Coach Conquese Washington. "I mean, we get thousands and thousands of people coming out every night to cheer us on, and for us to be able to give back in such a tangible, meaningful way, it just means a lot."
THE CENTER WAS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE A DEDICATED, QUIET SPACE FOR CANCER PATIENTS AND THEIR LOVED ONES.
"When you get a chance to come here and see this room, and know what it means and what it stands for, we've made an impact and that's pretty cool," said Coach Washington.
VISITORS AND PATIENTS ARE INVITED TO USE THE SPACE HOWEVER THEY CHOOSE. IT COMES COMPLETE WITH FOUR PERSONAL COMPUTERS, COMFORTABLE SEATING, AND A LIBRARY.
VOLUNTEERS ARE ON-HAND TO HELP YOU NAVIGATE THE EXPANSIVE COLLECTION OF CUTTING-EDGE MATERIALS CONTAINED IN THAT LIBRARY....INCLUDING THE LATEST ON CLINICAL STUDIES, STATE-OF-THE-ART TREATMENTS, AND ALTERNATIVE AND HOLSTIC APPROACHES TO HEALING AND WELLNESS...ALONG WITH PATIENT-FRIENDLY COOKBOOKS, AND EVEN CANCER-RELATED CHILDREN'S BOOKS.
AN IMPACT BEYOND THE COURT...THAT COACH WASHINGTON SAYS SHE IS PROUD TO BE A PART OF.
"Certainly, we're going to have fun, and we're going to entertain people on game days, but we can make connections with people that last far beyond game day and far beyond our playing time here, and I wanted to be able to really take advantage of that opportunity, to make connections that last a life time."
AS FOR THE PINK ZONE...
"We love pink zone, to just see all the supporters come out, the fighters, the people who survived breast cancer come out and support finding a cure for this disease, it's just a beautiful thing."
"We're one of the biggest, if not the biggest pink zone game in the nation, in terms of number of survivors, in terms of fans in attendance, it terms of monies raised, we're one of the leaders and we take a lot of pride in that."
AND SHE SAYS...SHE ONLY SEES IT GETTING BIGGER AND BETTER IN THE FUTURE.
"We're hoping that we fund the grant that finds the cure to cancer, and if we can say we did that, man there's gonna be a big old smile on my face."
THE LADY LION BASKETBALL CANCER RESOURCE CENTER IS LOCATED OFF THE MAIN LOBBY OF THE SHANER CANCER PAVILION AT MOUNT NITTANY HOSPITAL.
THIS YEAR'S PINK ZONE GAME WILL BE THIS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24th AGAINST THE MICHIGAN WOLVERINES. TIP-OFF IS AT 1:00 P-M AT THE BRYCE JORDAN CENTER.
