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Public Relations / Marketing OfficerDavid Bruzzese For Immediate Release FLC soccer teams to don pink shirts to honor college president, raise money DURANGO, Colo.—“Tough Enough to Wear PinkTM” will be the theme of the day on Sunday, Sept. 16, when the Fort Lewis College men’s and women’s soccer teams face the Colorado School of Mines. The FLC teams are joining forces with Mercy Health Foundation to honor FLC president Brad Bartel while promoting cancer awareness in the community and raising money for a new breast care center. As part of the event, the Skyhawks will wear pink shirts with the “Tough Enough to Wear PinkTM” logo in pre-game warm-ups and pink banners will decorate the flagpoles at the field. Pink shirts similar to the ones worn by players also will be sold to fans, and the cost of admission will be discounted for fans wearing pink. The shirts worn by players will be autographed and auctioned, along with other soccer collectibles including a pink shirt and photo autographed by U.S. Women’s Soccer legend Brandi Chastain. “A sea of pink at the games will be a very visible statement of support for Dr. Bartel and for the fight against cancer in general. Pink may be best known for breast cancer, but the key point is that we’re all fighting against a common enemy—cancer—and its many sub-types,” said Linda Campbell, chair of Mercy Health Foundation’s “Yes Ma’am” campaign for a comprehensive breast care center at Mercy Regional Medical Center. Dr. Bartel was recently diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a rare form of cancer of the plasma cells, and is currently on leave from the college while he receives treatment. The FLC soccer players came up with the idea of showing their support for Dr. Bartel by honoring him during their biggest game of the year. After learning of Mercy Health Foundation’s “Yes Ma’am” campaign, they thought they might also help the community by promoting cancer awareness and raising money for the breast care center. “Our teams feel a responsibility to Durango and especially Dr. Bartel for the support he gives us. We want to do our part to build awareness and give back to our community,” said Tim Hankinson, head men’s soccer coach. “Dr. Bartel encourages our student-athletes to be leaders on and off the field—this creates quality and integrity in everything we do.” “We have already had one donor pledge $10,000 and $50 per Skyhawk goal in the 2007 season. The donor wanted to challenge the local community to show support for Dr. Bartel,” said Karen Midkiff, Mercy Health Foundation’s chief development officer. All funds raised as part of the “Yes Ma’am” campaign will remain in the community. The “Tough Enough to Wear PinkTM” slogan has been used on the professional rodeo circuit to promote breast cancer research, and when the FLC men’s soccer team was presented with the idea of wearing pink shirts bearing the slogan, they decided it was a worthy challenge. The women's team also wanted to show their support and joined the event. The men’s game will begin at noon on Sunday at FLC’s Dirks Field and will be immediately followed by the women’s game at 2:30 p.m. The auction will be held during the half-time of the men’s game. The top-ranked Fort Lewis College men’s soccer team won the NCAA Division II national championship in 2005 and placed second in 2006. The women’s team finished fourth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in 2006 and second in 2005. For more information on the Sept. 16 event, contact Mercy Health Foundation at (970) 764-2804. Tough Enough to Wear PinkTM is a licensed trademark for the western industry’s breast cancer awareness campaign. For more information, visit http://www.toughenoughtowearpink.com. # # # |
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