San Francisco, CA- Over this past weekend, the Academy of Art University's softball team played a double header in which they raised awareness for Leukemia and Lymphoma. The Urban Knights wore limited edition purple jerseys to show their support in AADP (Asian American Donor Program) which is geared towards saving lives. During the three games of round-robin play, the Knights' had special fundraisers to raise money both for AADP and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Foundation.
“For the team, it is an opportunity to give back and help others,” said Coach Sherman. “Just like you want to be a hero on the field, people with Leukemia need a hero to save their life; and for our team, they were excited at the chance that they may be able to do that one day.”
A close childhood friend of head Coach Rachel Sherman's, Jen Juanes, was diagnosed with Leukemia and recently relapsed. In early January they found a bone marrow match for Jen and she is currently recovering from the transplant and fighting off the cancer. Without the help of AADP and others like you, there would have been little chance that Jen would find a donor match. She is now doing better, and hopes to be out of the hospital in three weeks. Jen's sister threw out the first pitch in honor of Jen, who was still too sick to attend.
“This day meant a lot to me because I know how hard it can be on family and friends of someone who is sick,” said Rachel Sherman. “Watching the Juanes family and Jennifer go through her battle with Leukemia is something nobody wants to see. But now since I have, I want to do everything I can to help other families with the fight.”
In the Urban Knights' “Swing for a Cause” day, they held a silent auction that took place during all three games in which they sold their purple jerseys to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Foundation. They also held a 50/50 raffle and a concessions stand, where all the proceeds went to AADP and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Foundation as well. There was also a bone marrow donor registry booth set up by AADP to help register people to become a bone marrow donor. It was easy for fans to register; all that was needed was paperwork and a cheek swab.
The Academy of Art University's first annual “Swing for a Cause” was successful as they raised almost $600 from the silent auction, nearly $50 from the 50/50 raffle, and from concessions.
“I was very happy with how the swing for a cause day turned out. I think we made a lot of people aware of the cause and educated people on just how easy it is to become a bone marrow donor,” added Coach Sherman.
The Knights would like to give a special thanks to AADP for their continued support in the Urban Knights' fight against Leukeima and Lymphoma, and Star Sports who donated the Knight's purple socks for their March 6th games. If you would like to help support AADP or register to be a bone marrow donor please visit their website at www.aadp.org/.
On a side note, AAU defeated both teams on March 6th. They beat Patten with a score of 9-0 (in five innings), and topped Oregon Tech with a score of 6-5.
