Submitted photo and press release:
The Pembroke Jr./Sr. High School Girls’ Basketball Team will host its 10th annual Shooting For A Cure! event versus Oakfield-Alabama this Friday, March 5, at 7:30 p.m. in the high school gym, located at the corner of routes 5 and 77 (8750 Alleghany Road) in Pembroke.
Because of the current statewide COVID-19 restrictions, admission to the game is by school-issued passes only, with two immediate family members per player in attendance.
To date, Shooting For A Cure! has raised more than $152,000 and has become one of Roswell Park’s largest community-based fundraising events.
This year, the team hopes to break the $200,000 mark in total funds raised since the event’s inception, setting their most ambitious goal to date.
Donate / Support / Bid
There are several ways to support this year’s mission.
The team is currently accepting online donations in support of Shooting For A Cure! To make a donation, please click here.
Currently Bontrager Real Estate & Auction Service has listed 20 Park Hopper passes to Walt Disney World that are up for bid. This auction closes on Friday, March 5th at 9:30 p.m., with 100 percent of the proceeds raised to benefit cancer research at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Insty-Prints of Buffalo generously printed raffle tickets in support of this year’s event. Countless donors have provided jewelry, newly released Apple products, Amazon gift cards, autographed sports memorabilia, gift certificates to local restaurants, themed-baskets, family photo sessions, and various hand-crafted items as raffle prizes. The YMCA of Batavia donated multiple memberships and Pesci’s Pizza & Wings donated an "Office Pizza Party for 12."
A limited number of raffle tickets remain.
To bid, click here.
Mark Lewis, local State Farm Insurance agent, has pledged $10 per insurance quote to Shooting For A Cure! for every auto quote completed now through March 31. This offer is for new customers only, so if you are not already a State Farm customer, please call (585) 343-4959 to request your “Quotes for Good” auto quote today (limit one per household). Please be sure to say you're calling on behalf of Shooting For A Cure!
In addition to details about purchasing tickets, event-related information is available here.
If you’d like to donate to this year’s event please contact Mike Wilson by calling (716) 949-0523 or click here.
WBTA to Broadcast Live and Food Trucks Will Rally
WBTA has offered an AM/FM broadcast of the game. Pembroke will be setting up a live video feed of the game.
Snack Shack Coordinator and Pembroke teacher Arron Brown has coordinated with local food trucks to set up a "Food Truck Rally" in support of the event from 4 to 8 p.m. The food vendors will donate a percentage of proceeds to cancer research at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Reflections on the Pink Game
Senior Serene Calderón will be playing in her fourth and final Shooting For A Cure! game this year.
“When I reflect on the Pink Game, what comes to mind is community, love, and team work," Serene said. "This game brings our community together every season, and we grow closer and more supportive of each other. The night of the game, our school is surrounded by love.
"You can just feel it, especially during the halftime ceremony. Shooting For A Cure! brings our team together; it gives us a higher purpose as we try to help those in need. It’s not about basketball that night; it’s about showing love to those in our community and supporting a cause much bigger than ourselves.”
Senior Emily Peters said “The most important part, to me, about participating in this event the fact that our small community makes a big impact. Since the inaugural game, each team—including all of the new members— looks for ways to widen the impact of the game. It’s been challenging for us this year to try and reinvent the way we host this event.
"It being our 10th annual, we wanted to go big and get creative, but with all of the current COVID restrictions, we won’t be able to have a packed gym or crowded hallways full of prizes; however that won’t take away from what’s most important. It’s about supporting our community, and we’re finding new ways to do that.”
Although this year’s event won’t have the characteristic congested hallways, capacity crowd in the gymnasium, jam-packed cafeteria, or halftime ceremony we’ve all become accustomed to, the team continues to pursue creative alternatives to bring the game to the community.
“The first word that comes to mind when I think about Shooting For A Cure! is the simple, powerful, and profound word, love.” said Matthew Calderón, Pembroke superintendent. “There isn’t a better word that describes what’s going on here at Pembroke in the days, weeks, and months leading up to this event.
"You can feel it in the building, especially on the night of the game. This entire event is fueled by love. It’s about selflessly serving others and showing everyone in our community that we’ve got their back when adversity strikes. The most important aspect of this game has only been further strengthened and enhanced by the current restrictions we’re facing.
"These new challenges will not stop Pembroke from trying to make a difference. It provides us with the opportunity to do something we never would have had the chance to do. Our mission remains the same, we’re just finding new ways to go about it. We remain hopeful that taking a more virtual approach will allow us to engage more people in a broader way, reaching those we wouldn’t normally reach."
Cancer Survivor: 'Entire Community Was There For Me'
Proud cancer survivor Diane Phelps said "We are truly a unified community that has been proudly working towards a common goal for a decade now. The most important aspect of this event isn’t about the dollar amount raised, it’s about the genuine love shown to cancer patients and their families. It’s an incredible feeling to know that no one is going through this alone.
"Standing on the baseline during the halftime ceremony for the first time as someone battling this disease was overwhelming. I couldn’t believe that I was living in that moment, knowing that my entire community was there for me. It was a wonderful feeling. When you know that your community has your back at times like that, it’s emotional and hard to put into words what that feels like.
"Pembroke is special and this game helps to model for all of the students, young and old, what’s most important in life. It’s a great way for young people to get involved and give back. The way that this team, the Pembroke teachers, students, alumni, and basketball families rally around this cause every year is inspirational to me. I’m so blessed to be a part of such an incredible community."
Photo: Front -- Karli Houseknecht (25), Serene Calderón (10), Sydney Johnson (11), Allyson DuBois-Rider (30). Back -- Isabel Breeden (2), Emily Peters (32), Nicole Von Kramer (23), Allie Schwerthoffer (14), Ariel Moss (50).
