SLIAC Readying For Annual Coaches vs. Cancer

SLIAC Readying For Annual Coaches vs. Cancer

This week kicks off the annual Coaches vs. Cancer initiative for the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Over the next couple of weeks schools from around the conference will hold various fundraising and awareness events prior to and during home basketball games. This marks the fourth consecutive year that the SLIAC has participated in a conference-wide initiative to raise money for assisting cancer patients. 

All funds raised by schools during this period will go directly to The Hope Lodge, an arm of the American Cancer Society which hosts patients of cancer and their families from out of town during treatments. The official nationwide Coaches vs. Cancer campaign runs from January 28-February 3. 

A pair of schools has already held their annual Coaches vs. Cancer game. Those schools include Eureka College, which sold fundraising t-shirts and held a silent auction which included autographed basketballs from Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, Notre Dame coach Mike Brey, Northwestern coach Chris Collins, and Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski. Webster University held their fundraising day last weekend as they hosted Fontbonne University. The Gorloks collected donations at the gym door and displayed a Wall of Hope in the gym. 

Upcoming events include Westminster College on February 9th, which will also be Senior Day, as they host Principia College. MacMurray College will hold their Coaches vs. Cancer game on February 13 when they will hold cash donations drive, a silent auction, and a halftime shootout. 

The SLIAC was the first conference in any NCAA division to partner league-wide with the American Cancer Society and dedicate all proceeds to the foundation. Also new this year is the ability to make a donation from your phone. Iowa Wesleyan, MacMurray, and Westminster are among the schools that will give their fans an opportunity to make a donation in the name of their school directly to the SLIAC conference fundraising efforts. For more information and to join coaches and the SLIAC in the fight against cancer, visit coachesvscancer.org/suitsandsneakers. 

Coaches vs. Cancer, founded in 1993, is a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches. The upcoming Coaches vs. Cancer - Suits and Sneakers campaign encourages coaches and their staff to wear sneakers with their suits during games to raise awareness of the fight against cancer and demonstrate their support for the American Cancer Society and its mission to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. The initiative aims to increase cancer awareness, highlights the importance of nutrition and physical activity in reducing a person's cancer risk, and promotes the American Cancer Society's free programs and services available to those facing cancer. Since 1993, coaches have raised more than $100 million for the American Cancer Society and the fight against cancer.

The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is an NCAA Division III athletic conference and was chartered in 1989 and includes 10 private institutions across four states. Members include Blackburn College, Eureka College, Fontbonne University, Greenville College, Iowa Wesleyan University, MacMurray College, Principia College, Spalding University, Webster University, and Westminster College.