Local high school soccer teams to help raise cancer awareness Oct. 9

Date: 9/28/2010

Sept. 29, 2010

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor

CHICOPEE -- Organizers hope a long-time city athletic rivalry will become an annual fundraiser for the Rays of Hope.

Beth Carvalho, the chair of the event, explained to Reminder Publications the boys and girls soccer teams of Chicopee High School and Chicopee Comprehensive High School will wear special shirts at their game on Oct. 9 to raise awareness for Rays of Hope, the annual local fundraising effort to combat breast cancer.

Rays of Hope A Walk Toward the Cure of Breast Cancer was founded in 1994 by Springfield native Lucy Giuggio-Carvalho after she was diagnosed in 1993 with breast cancer and struggled with her initial diagnosis, treatment options and access to services. Its mission is to raise funds to improve the breast health of the people in our communities with quality and compassion in partnership with Baystate Regional Cancer Program's Comprehensive Breast Center.

She said the girls' teams will wear white and pink shirts during their game at 5 p.m. and the boys' teams will wear pink warm-up shirts during their game at 7 p.m. Pink and white are the colors of the Rays of Hope.

Carvalho noted that many of the soccer players participate in the Rays of Hope walk the soccer game is one more way for the students of the two schools to become involved.

During the games at Szot Park, there will be additional activities.

Polish National Credit Union has contributed a gift basket it is raffling off and there will be a goal set up that day so children can kick a penalty kick for a $1, she said. There will also be a 50-50 raffle that night. Members of the National Honor Society will be handing out pink ribbons to those attending as long as the supply lasts, she added.

Carvalho said she hopes additional businesses will sponsor the event. For more information call her at 885-2351.

She said the sponsors so far have are enthusiastic about the event.

"The more we can raise and give to Rays of Hope, the better we are," she said.