Hurricanes Surpass Goal in Dig for the Cure Campaign

Hurricanes Surpass Goal in Dig for the Cure Campaign

Oct. 16, 2007

CORAL GABLES, Fla. –The University of Miami volleyball team has surpassed its goal of raising at least $2,000 for breast cancer research as part of the “Dig for the Cure” campaign to benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

“We are excited to reach our goal of over $2,000 for such a great cause,” head coach Nicole Lantagne Welch said. “Hopefully it brings a lot of awareness to fighting breast cancer.”

The team is still accepting flat donations as the players continue to raise money for the cause. The campaign, centered around UM’s home match against Georgia Tech, Oct. 7, turned out to be a great success as the `Canes collected money pledged for every one of the team’s 63 digs recorded against the Yellow Jackets.

“So many of our lives have been touched by people that have dealt with cancer and continue deal with today,” Lantagne Welch said. “It means a lot to our team to be able to contribute to such a worthy cause.”

The Dig for the Cure campaign was originally started in 2003 by Charlotte head coach Lisa Marston and has spread to volleyball programs across the country in recent years. The Hurricanes raised $1,712 last season in their first year participating in the program.

UM is one of 47 schools nationally and five schools in the ACC that is participating in the campaign at some point during the 2007 season.

The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation was established in 1982 by Nancy Brinker to honor the memory of her sister, Susan G. Komen, who died from breast cancer at the age of 36. Today, the Foundation is an international organization with a network of more than 75,000 volunteers working through local affiliates and events like the Komen Race for the Cure® to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease.

A global leader in the fight against breast cancer, the Foundation fulfills its mission through support of innovative breast cancer research grants, meritorious awards and educational, scientific and community outreach programs around the world. Together with its Affiliate Network, corporate partners and generous donors, the Komen Foundation has raised more than $740 million for the fight against breast cancer.

For more information about breast health or breast cancer, visit the Foundation’s award-winning Web site at www.komen.org or call the Foundation’s National Toll-Free Breast Care Helpline at 1.800 I’M AWARE® (1.800.462.9273).

If you are still interested in making a donation or would like more information about the campaign, call the Miami volleyball office at (305) 284-4532 or email assistant coach Matt Botsford at mbotsford@miami.edu.