Join the SLIAC in Fight Against Cancer

This week marks the annual Coaches vs. Cancer campaign for the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Beginning in 2017 the SLIAC started a conference-wide initiative, aligning with national Coaches vs. Cancer week held by the American Cancer Society. The campaign is part of the SLIAC end-of-the-year Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) Service Award which awards points based on donations, items collected, and community service. 

This year's Coaches vs. Cancer campaign begins this week, January 23, and will run through February 5, assuring that each school hosts at least one home basketball game during that stretch. Schools across the conference will hold various events, raffles, and games to raise money that will go directly to The Hope Lodge. 

Located in St. Louis, Mo., the Hope Lodge is an arm of the American Cancer Society which hosts patients of cancer and their families from out of town during treatments. 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, be on the lookout for coaches on the sidelines as they join in the Suits and Sneakers awareness campaign. Coaches will be putting on their best sneakers to help raise awareness and funds by encouraging people to educate themselves about cancer prevention, screening, and early detection. At the end of the two-week-long campaign, we will be posting the coaches' sneakers on social media and asking you the fan, who has the best shoe game. 

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.

For more information and to join coaches and the SLIAC in the fight against cancer, visit coachesvscancer.org/suitsandsneakers. 

Below is information on some of the events that schools will be participating in:
Blackburn College - Donation Page
Webster University - 50/50 raffle