The Raiders played for a cause during the Hoops for Hope game Jan. 2, helping in the fight against cancer.
The Twin Valley High School boys basketball team fell to the Governor Mifflin Mustangs 60 to 34.
This game was all about Hoops for Hope. The Raiders joined in with the American Cancer Society to raise awareness about the cause to encourage the community to help and to also raise awareness about Relay for Life. Twin Valley’s Relay for Life event this year will occur Saturday, June 13 at 10 a.m. and it will continue to Sunday, June 14, until 10 a.m.
The boys warmed up in purple Relay for Life t-shirts to support the cause and raise awareness for Twin Valley’s Relay for Life event. At half-time Terri Feeney, a Relay for Life volunteer, spoke about Relay for Life.
“We encourage everyone in the community to participate and experience Relay For Life in any way they can; whether it be by forming or creating a team to raise money, volunteering to help plan the event or assist with activities, even just coming out and checking out what the fundraisers teams have or buying some food from the concession stand helps, as all the money raised onsite goes to The American Cancer Society,” said Feeney at the event.
She also had a little activity to help the community become more aware.
Feeney asked everyone to raise their hands and asked a few questions, such as “If you know someone who has cancer, raise your hand.” At the end of it people were able to see how their community was affected by cancer, just by looking around the room.
“I gave a brief speech that showed how cancer affects us all that hopefully drove home the impact of The American Cancer Society’s mission,” Feeney told Tri County Record.
The cheerleaders had then gone out and formed two lines, creating a pathway, for any cancer survivors to come down and walk through. The community supported them with claps and cheers.
There were also other activities that took place throughout the night. There was a Reading Royals ticket raffle, and a Samsung Galaxy Tab raffle, as well as a “jail” game. The game consists of donating $1 to put a friend in jail. The friend that is put in jail can then only be released once they have raised a full $2. The $2 that they raise is considered their “bail” money.
During half-time their was a 50/50 raffle. The cheerleaders went around to attendees to collect donations and sell tickets.
“We raised about $125 with the 50/50 raffle, as the winner of the raffle donated back some of his winnings, which was very generous of him,” Feeney said.
Feeney spoke a little about working with Twin Valley Athletics past and future, “I’ve spoken with Athletic Director John Guiseppe about doing similar activities at other Twin Valley sporting events in the spring and fall. He has been instrumental in getting the high school sports teams involved in our June event.”
“The cross country teams have been coming out for a number of years. Last year, we had a number of the High School athletic teams come out for exhibition games or just to help out and be a presence including the field hockey, soccer, football, basketball and cheerleading squads,” Feeney said. “The support we get from both AD(Athletic Director) John Guiseppe and Superintendent Robert Pleis is phenomenal.”
The event was a success and even though the boys had lost, the game was considered a success as well.
“I believe it was a success because it is not all about the wins and losses, it’s about the bigger picture of bringing a community together to fight for a good cause,” said Twin Valley Athletic Director John Guisppe.
The American Cancer Society has a few upcoming events. Their big event will be their Annual Relay for Life event in June. They will also hold a Survivor Social around April and May, where survivors gather and enjoy some time with people who have been through the same experience.
The Twin Valley Raiders’ next game will be Jan. 13 at 6 p.m. away at Conrad Weiser.
