"the People's Paths!" Cherokee News Path - Sequoyah Invites Fans To “Think Pink”

TAHLEQUAH, Oklahoma - Sequoyah Schools will participate in a nation-wide breast cancer awareness event by wearing pink shirts and holding events to raise money for breast cancer awareness in connection with their home basketball game Thursday, February 7 at 6:30 p.m.

“We will be selling pink Sequoyah shirts as a fundraiser and asking our fans to each donate $1,” said Gina Stanley, Sequoyah Schools superintendent. “It’s a great cause and something that we are proud to be a part of.”

The annual “Think Pink” campaign was launched in 2007 by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) to utilize women’s sports as an arena to raise breast cancer awareness. College campuses across the nation each chose one home game as their “Think Pink” game to raise money and educate the public on breast cancer. This year, the WBCA has also invited high school girls’ basketball teams to join in and declare one home game a “Think Pink” game. Sequoyah’s girls’ basketball team has chosen Thursday, February 7 against Keys as their “Think Pink” game.

“Keys is a great rivalry for us,” Stanley said. “We should have a lot of fans there and a lot of support.”

Pink Sequoyah Schools “Think Pink” t-shirts will be on sale at the game. All proceeds will be donated directly to a local breast cancer charity. The Sequoyah girls basketball team will also be leading other fundraising events on campus in the week leading up to the game, including allowing teachers to wear jeans for one week for a $10 donation and hosting a breast cancer survivor’s reception and recognition ceremony at the game.

Sequoyah is currently searching for breast cancer survivors in the community to be recognized at the event. If you or someone you know is a breast cancer survivor and would like to be included in Sequoyah’s “Think Pink” events, contact Tera Shows, phone: 918-453-5542 or by e-mail: tshows@cherokee.org.

Sequoyah Schools, a boarding school for Native American students located near Tahlequah, Okla., originated in 1871 as an orphan asylum to care for children who were orphaned by the Civil War. Now operated by the Cherokee Nation and known as Sequoyah Schools, it is named for Sequoyah, the scholar who developed the Cherokee syllabary. It is regionally and state accredited for grades 7-12 and has become the school of choice for more than 400 high school students every year. For more information call 918-453-5400.