SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The Missouri State Lady Bears will take part in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's 2010 Pink Zone campaign during their home finale with Evansville on Sunday, Feb. 28. Lower level seats for the Lady Bears' 2:05 p.m., contest against the Purple Aces will be available on game day at the Chevy Pickup Window for $5 to all fans wearing pink shirts.
Voluntary donations to the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks (BCFO) will be accepted throughout JQH Arena, and a silent auction benefitting the BCFO and the Stephanie Phillips Foundation will be conducted.
The Lady Bears will don pink uniforms and apparel provided by Ashley Furniture to commemorate the occasion, and the BCFO will distribute a variety of information relating to breast cancer awareness. Volunteers will be on hand to collect donations and give fans the opportunity to purchase pink ribbon honoraria and memory cards that will be displayed on the east wall of the main arena lower bowl. All in attendance who have been impacted by breast cancer will be recognized during the contest.
BCFO and Fast Break Club volunteers will distribute a limited number of pink t-shirts and poms at both the Northwest and Grand Entrances to JQH Arena when doors open at 12:30 p.m.
The Missouri State Bookstore will have a limited number of pink "Lady Bear Pride" t-shirts available for purchase for $8 at the BearWear Team Store, as well as at the Northwest Entrance to JQH Arena prior to and throughout both remaining MSU women's basketball home games.
Additionally, a silent auction featuring the pink Nike jerseys worn by the Lady Bears will be conducted on the Price Cutter Concourse throughout the contest, with all proceeds going to the BCFO and the Stephanie Phillips Foundation.
A Lady Bear from 1992-95, Stephanie Phillips has been battling cancer for the past several years while serving as head girls basketball coach at Kickapoo High School.
The WBCA's Pink Zone initiative is a global, unified effort for the WBCA's nation of coaches to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. Founded in 1981, the WBCA promotes women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game as a sport for women and girls.
The WBCA began the WBCA Pink Zone® (formerly known as "Think Pink") in 2007 as an initiative to raise breast cancer awareness in women's basketball, on campuses and in communities. The 2009 campaign raised over $1.3 million for breast cancer awareness and research, reached over 912,000 fans, unified more than 1,600 participating teams and organizations, and saw 56 schools break attendance records at their respective events.
The BCFO is a local organization that keeps every dollar raised in the community to provide practical assistance to families facing breast cancer. It is an organization of people reaching out to friends and neighbors who have been affected by breast cancer. The agency provides non-medical financial assistance to those in need through the BCFO Client Distribution Program and the BCFO Children's Fund.
Advance tickets are available by phone at (417) 836-7678, on-line at www.MissouriStateTix.com, or in person during regular business hours at JQH Arena.
The Lady Bears are back in action Saturday (Feb. 20) afternoon when they travel to Wichita State for a 2:05 p.m., contest against the Shockers at Charles Koch Arena.
