PINE BLUFF, Ark.-In an effort to promote Breast Cancer Awareness, the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Lady Lions basketball team will host “Think Pink Day” on Saturday, February 20th when UAPB takes on Prairie View A&M at 5:30 p.m.
Donations will be accepted at the game and will be contributed to the Kay Yow/WBCA (Women's Basketball Coaches Association) Cancer Fund and the American Cancer Society.
Pink ribbons will be passed out along with Breast Cancer Awareness brochures at the event. The women's basketball is currently looking for breast cancer survivors and their stories for their half time presentation.
The women's basketball will be presenting the selected honorees with plaques honoring their courage and showing support for Breast Cancer Awareness.
“Many of us know somebody that has been affected by this devastating disease,” said Arkansas-Pine Bluff Athletic Director Louis “Skip” Perkins. “We are happy to be able to take part in raising awareness of a disease which has affected million of lives across the world.”
Breast cancer survivors and supporters are encouraged to attend the game wearing pink in support of the cause.
The Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research launched the “Think Pink” initiative in 2007. It honors former NC State women's coach Kay Yow, who worked alongside Jim Valvano at NC State before he succumbed to cancer in 1993.
Yow, who tallied more than 700 coaching victories, was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987 and later learned that she had stage-four cancer. In 2009 Yow lost her over two decade long battle with Breast cancer. More than 650 universities are scheduled to participate in the "Think Pink" initiative in 2010.
Did You Know...
• Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death for all women and the leading overall cause
of cancer death in women between the ages of 20 and 59
• In the United States, breast cancer is expected to be newly diagnosed every three minutes, and a woman will die from breast cancer every 13 minutes
• African American women have a higher breast cancer death rate than women of any other racial or ethnic population
• Eighty percent of all breast tumors are benign
For more information please call the UAPB women's basketball program at (870) 575-8836. The program can also be reached via email at kernj@uapb.edu.
