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La Liga’s “Vehicle of Hope” will be on campus Oct. 8, Oct. 9, Oct. 15 and Oct. 22 to raise cancer awareness and education.
La Liga Contra el Cáncer (The League Against Cancer) is teaming up with FIU External Relations and FIU Athletics to raise cancer awareness among college sports fans.
FIU teams will dedicate their home games in the upcoming months to the cause by recognizing and honoring a cancer survivor who is a member of the FIU family; selling t-shirts and bracelets; and presenting fans with educational material. The Dazzlers also are pitching in, collecting donations prior to the games.
“The athletic teams are proud to partner with la Liga in this joint initiative to raise cancer awareness among our community friends and fans,” said Julie Berg- McGraw, FIU’s senior associate athletic director. “It’s an opportunity to do our part – educate the public and help cancer patients receive the care they need.”
This is the first time la Liga is partnering with a university in the hopes of increasing the rate of cancer survivorship and gathering support for the development of a cure.
“This partnership with FIU is a match made in heaven,” said Manny Alfonso, a member of la Liga’s executive board. “We’re uniting with South Florida’s future volunteers, physicians and researchers who will help us tackle cancer. “
Liga Contra el Cáncer was founded in Miami in 1975 as a community-based, not-for-profit organization, providing free medical care to needy cancer patients. More than 350 Florida physicians, who are board-certified in their specialties, volunteer their services to the organization.
Cancer treatments can cost as much as $50,000 per patient. Since it opened its doors, la Liga has provided more than 50,000 low-income, uninsured men, women and children medical treatment, screenings and support at no cost to them.
“We have a very generous university community that wants to help,” said Senior Vice President for External Relations Sandra Gonzalez-Levy. “This collaboration will create a precedent, leading to more awareness of the cause. Funds raised will go toward helping cancer patients receive world-class treatment from la Liga.”
FIU student-athletes will be volunteering at la Liga throughout the year on various support functions, culminating in their annual telethon where Panthers will join community leaders, survivors and other volunteers to work the phone bank.
Playing Pink
Women’s soccer will play pink for la Liga Contra el Cáncer when they take on Western Kentucky University (WKU) Friday, Oct. 8, at 8 p.m. at the soccer field at Modesto A. Maidique Campus (MMC).
La Liga will be at the FIU football game Saturday, Oct. 9, against WKU at 3:30 p.m. During halftime, cancer survivor Brunhilde Pupi Tomassini, senior secretary in FIU’s International Forensic Research Institute, will be presented with a pink football signed by the football team and head coach Mario Cristobal.
In their second annual “Dig Pink” event, FIU volleyball will dedicate their game against Sun Belt Conference foe Middle Tennessee to the cause Friday, Oct.15, at 6:30 p.m. in U.S. Century Bank Arena. Director of Academic Support Services Rosa Saez, who is a cancer survivor, will be honored during that game.
The men of FIU soccer will be kickin’ it for the cure Friday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m. at the soccer field at MMC.
For ticket information, visit fiusports.com.
La Liga’s “Vehicle of Hope” will be on campus on game days (Oct. 8, Oct. 9, Oct. 15 and Oct. 22) to answer questions and hand out free educational material.
— Sissi Aguila ’99, MA ’08
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