OAC Women's Basketball Teams Support Cancer Research during National Cancer Prevention Month
OAC Women's Basketball Teams Support Cancer Research during National Cancer Prevention Month
Throughout the month of February, the Ohio Athletic Conference women's basketball teams have held its games in honor and support of National Cancer Prevention Month. Many games have been dedicated to various members of the women's basketball community who are fighting or have lost their battles with cancer. Teams have worn commemorative pink uniforms or shooting shirts, while raising awareness and collecting donations for various cancer research or non-profit organizations such as the Kay Yow Cancer Fund and the Karen Wellington Foundation.
The Kay Yow Cancer Fund was founded from the vision of the organization's namesake, Kay Yow, former NC State University head women's basketball coach. Yow was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987 before succumbing to the disease in 2009. The Kay Yow Cancer Fund is committed to raising money for life-saving cancer research and underserved programs that provide access to quality cancer healthcare.
Play4Kay is the largest fundraising initiative of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Yow envisioned Play4Kay games as platforms for survivors and thrivers nationwide as they continue to fight against cancer, while raising money in the fight against all cancers affecting women. She saw these games as a way to encourage and give hope, and they are a way for everyone involved to honor the courageous women battling cancer and stand with them in their fight.
The Capital women’s basketball team is raising donations for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund by selling t-shirts throughout the month of February at all home games. The team also held a girls youth clinic on February 2nd, with donations to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund made in lieu of registration fees.
Ohio Northern has been holding its 'Bake a Difference' game for the past four years and raising money for the Amy Weeks FUNd by The Karen Wellington Foundation for Living with Breast Cancer. The team honors Amy Weeks, who passed away in August of 2021 from breast cancer. Her daughter, Abby Weeks, was a member of the Polar Bear women’s basketball team from 2016-2020. For the fourth year in a row, Ohio Northern has raised more than $2,400 for the Karen Wellington Foundation.
The Karen Wellington Foundation was started after her passing in 2007 to breast cancer. Although Karen lived with cancer for 10 years, she never once let it define her. Karen had no time for cancer or chemo. She had parties to attend, gigs to play, paintings to create and strangers to help along the way. Karen had a dream that once she beat cancer, each year her family would send another family living with cancer on vacation. Since 2007, the Karen Wellington Foundation has gifted over 3,000 Gifts of FUN - beach vacations, spa days, backstage passes, skydiving excursions, game-day tickets and much more to families living with cancer.
John Carroll’s annual “Sue Z” game remembers Sue Zidanic, beloved member of the John Carroll community and member of the women's basketball team from 1991-1995. Zidanic returned as graduate assistant coach for the women's basketbal team in 1997, and later worked at John Carroll as a Student Service Counselor in Financial Aid. In August of 2013, Susan was diagnosed with Stage 3 Lung Cancer. While combating eight-hour days of chemotherapy, the John Carroll Community, especially her basketball family, became the strong foundation she needed to fight on. Susan fought her battle with cancer for over a decade before passing away in 2023.
Many teams have created an online donation pages where supporters can help raise money for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund and other non-profit organizations dedicated to helping with cancer research, patient support and advocacy. If you would like to support OAC women's basketball in the fight against cancer, please visit the links below: