Bobcats to Shoot for the Cure

posted January 17, 2012

BRANDON, MB – The Brandon Bobcats will participate in the CIS Women’s Basketball Coaches Association “Shoot for the Cure”, a fundraising initiative in which all 43 CIS women’s basketball teams are involved. The program is aimed at raising money and awareness for the fight against breast cancer.

“That is really exciting. Getting every team on board was definitely one of our objectives this year,” said University of New Brunswick head coach and Shoot for the Cure project manager, Jeff Speedy. “Our other main goal remains to reach half a million dollars raised for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation in the first five years of the initiative.”

The Bobcats will host the ‘Shoot for the Cure’ on the last weekend of regular season basketball games on February 3 and 4, at the BU Gymnasium. All 50/50 revenue from the weekend’s games will be donated to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, and two members of the women’s basketball team will take part in a unique fundraiser. Two players will have one minute to shoot as many free throws as possible during half-time of the men’s games. Jayla Bousquet will shoot at the half on Friday’s game while Chantel Gaslard will shoot on Saturday. Fans can make a pledge of $1 dollar, $2 dollars, or $5 dollars for every free throw made. All proceeds will be donated directly to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

Shoot for the Cure has proven an overwhelming success in its first four years with close to $400,000 in donations to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and other related cancer charities.

At the 2011 CIS championship last March in Windsor, the WBCA presented a cheque for $104,763 to the Foundation, surpassing the $94,650 collected in 2009-10 and the amounts from the 2008-09 ($81,512) and 2007-08 ($50,320) seasons. In addition to these impressive totals, $59,896 was amassed over the past three years by schools that elected to donate their fundraised money to local cancer organizations.

Once again this year, CIS women’s basketball programs raise money through regular season games, non-conference matches, tournaments and special events.

The 2011-12 Shoot for the Cure schedule – which kicked off in mid-October and will culminate in March at the CIS championship in Calgary – is now comprised of 47 events.

The fundraising initiative was the brainchild of Rod Gilpin, the long-time bench boss of the Bishop’s women’s program now in his fourth season as head coach of the Gaiters’ men’s team.

For more information visit: www.gobobcats.ca / www.facebook.com/bubobcats / www.twitter.com/bubobcats

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For more information, please contact:

Matt Packwood
Sports Administration Assistant
Brandon University
(204) 727-7375
packwoodm@brandonu.ca

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