Women's Basketball Volunteers at Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – For the second year in a row, the Belmont women's basketball team joined with more than 20,000 Middle Tennesseans on Saturday, October 9 to take a stand against and raise awareness about breast cancer at the 19th annual Greater Nashville Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Brentwood.
The Bruins, who showed up at Maryland Farms bright and early at 5:30 a.m., volunteered at the start and finish lines of the Race, encouraging everyone from seasoned runners to those walking with their pets as they began the 5K or One Mile Fun Run. The team also cheered on survivors as they crossed the finish line. Inside of Race Village, the Bruins posed for pictures with fans.
"It was an honor for our program to serve as volunteers for the Susan G. Komen Foundation Walk for the Cure. The strength, determination, courage and spirit displayed by the survivors, families and supporters at the Walk for the Cure was a powerful thing to witness for our players and staff alike," said Head Coach Brittney Ezell. "I hope that our service on Saturday morning was received as a display of admiration and support to all of those affected by breast cancer. We as a program, along with millions of others across the country, will continue to do anything we can to help promote awareness and generate interest in the fight to find a cure. I want to extend a heart-felt thank you, on behalf of our team and staff, to the Susan G. Komen committee for allowing us to serve and to be a small part of your incredibly uplifting event."
The program also teams up with the Greater Nashville Affiliate during the regular season with its annual Pink Zone game. For the last three years, Belmont has joined with the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and thousands of other college, university and high school women's/girl's basketball teams to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. The Bruins don pink uniforms and honor survivors before and during the game.
Greater Nashville Susan G. Komen Affiliate History
In 1992, 500 people gathered in Centennial Park to participate in Greater Nashville's first Race for the Cure. During the next six years, the Race was managed under the umbrella of the Sarah Cannon Cancer Center at Centennial Medical Center. In 1997, the Greater Nashville Affiliate was founded through the leadership of Junior League of Nashville members, Shana Alford and Barb Sawyer. Shana, a breast cancer survivor herself, became the first president of the Affiliate, and Barb served as the first Race Chair. Through their leadership, along with countless volunteer efforts, the Greater Nashville Affiliate has grown to include a staff and a strong, diverse Board of Directors. To date Komen Greater Nashville has provided more than $3 million in screening, treatment and educational services to the women of Middle Tennessee.
For more information on Greater Nashville Susan G. Komen for the Cure, please visit www.komennashville.org.
