Crusaders honor cancer survivors
Oct. 9—A bright pink ribbon stood on the stage in honor of survivors of Breast Cancer at Harrells Christian. The Crusaders recognized members of the community for the fight against breast cancer. Led by Merissa Parks, head coach of the Harrells Volleyball team, she put together an event that honored those in the community who have battled this disease.
Before the Crusaders game that evening, there was a ceremony to recognize those in the community In a moving event, each of the survivors in attendance were called to the stage and a group of Lady Crusaders met them, handing them each a rose. As the bouquets grew, you could see those who people well up with emotion.
"We had this idea which hit pretty close to home for a lot of our girls, we thought it would be a good event to bring awareness to the cause and people to the gym."
From tee-shirts to baked goods, the Harrells community managed to put together this event for the Side-Out Foundataion to help fund research to combat this disease that has affected so many. In their endeavor they raised a total of $3,478 dollars towards the cause. Coach Parks spoke on the impact of the fundraising event and how it affected the her team and the community.
"I think it had a decent impact. I've been pushing to do more than just playing volleyball this year. I feel sometimes we get caught up with the outcome and it's just been taking a toll. This was a good way to bring awareness to the cause and also bring our community together and give back to them. I think it was a great turnout, it was the most people I've seen in our gym all year and I think it impacted the girls as well."
Reach Anthony McConnaughey at amcconnaughey@clintonnc.com or on Twitter @SportsSampson
