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March 20, 2006

The 12th Annual Shoot Out for Cancer
When: April 23, 2006
Time: 1- 4pm
Where: the field behind Memorial Gym
Hosted by UVA Student Athlete Mentors (SAM’s)

The event will benefit children battling cancer through the your muchneeded and appreciated donations to the Jennifer Fund.Keep checking this page and our site for further updates.

What is Shoot Out for Cancer?
Shoot Out for Cancer is an annual event organized by the Student Athlete Mentors with the support of the entire athletic community. Shoot Out originated in 1994 when a former SAM member, Tom Henske, arranged events to honor and support Curt Onalfo, a Virginia Men’s Soccer player who had been diagnosed with cancer. Today, the spring picnic reaches out to the greater Charlottesville community. Shoot Out for Cancer gives the youth of Charlottesville the opportunity to “compete” with their favorite Student Athletes. The enriching atmosphere is enhanced with entertaining games, good food, music and even a silent auction for the adults. Shoot Out is not just a fun filled event, but it contributes to a worthy cause, the Jennifer Fund.

The Jennifer Fund
All proceeds raised at Shoot Out for Cancer support the Jennifer Fund, which helps children facing cancer and blood diseases on two critical levels. First, the Jennifer Fund supports research and continuing education in the UVA Children’s Medical Center’s (CMC) Division of Pediatric Hematology/ Oncology. With support from the Jennifer Fund, doctors at CMC have been able to develop new treatments for children with T-cell leukemia and conduct research in sickle cell anemia, hemophilia and blood clots. Second, the fund provides amenities to comfort families who spend long hours in the hospital. The Children’s Medical Center at UVA records over 130,000 patient visits each year. According to Patrick Belisle, Director of Annual Giving and Major Gifts at UVA Children’s Medical Center, “The funds have been specifically used at CMC to buy comfortable recliner chairs for kids who have day-long chemotherapy treatments and the fund helps their family with unmet, immediate needs.” Already, seventy-five percent of childhood cancers are curable! Shoot Out for Cancer and the CMC’s Jennifer Fund will help us lift that number toward one hundred percent.”

Who are we?
The University of Virginia’s Student Athlete Mentor (SAM) Program consists of dedicated Student Athletes from all 25 varsity sports programs. The SAM program helps prevent substance abuse throughout the athletic community and gives insight into health, wellness, community service and academic support to varsity athletic teams. SAMs foster relationships between individuals, teams and the community through educational programs, team building and community service projects. Through the SAM program Student Athletes volunteer hundreds of hours every year to community service events. One example is the support student-athletes show in time spent at the Children’s Medical Center; every week Student Athletes visit the young patients at the Children’s Medical Center at UVA, giving them hope as they work toward a cure to their diseases. Shoot Out for Cancer will further help to foster this relationship between Student Athletes and some of our most enthusiastic fans.

How will your donation help?
Your donation will help the SAM program reach our goal of $10,000 for the Jennifer Fund. With your help, we will be able to more aggressively aid these children in their fight against cancer. Student Athlete’s at UVA have a genuine concern for the community. This is our chance to give back to that community and our young fans of their endless support of UVA athletics.

How Can I contribute?
There are a variety of ways your contribution can help Shoot Out meet our goal. We welcome any ideas you may have about contributing. Please email Kristin Chaney

Monetary Donation:

A straightforward monetary donation will help Shoot Out reach our goal of $10,000 to present to the Jennifer Fund.Attend the event, Individual tickets – $5. Family package – 5 tickets for $20.If you can’t make the event, you can still donate tickets to Madison House’s Big Sibling program. For every $15 donated, Shoot Out will provide a pair of tickets to a Big Sibling and their Little Sibling.

Donate a Percentage of a day’s earnings:

If you own a business in the Charlottesville area, you could donate 20% of each sale to Shoot Out for a specified period of time. SAMs would advertise the event around grounds and encourage participation from the community.

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