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ATLANTA, Jan. 22, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Thousands of basketball coaches across the country will once again trade their dress shoes for sneakers to wear with their suits during the annual Coaches vs. Cancer Suits And Sneakers Week, January 22-28. Fans can also be part of the action by participating in a nationwide online auction featuring sneakers and ties signed by Division I basketball coaches.
"For the past 20 years, Suits And Sneakers has been an important element of our Coaches vs. Cancer program since coaches started lacing up," said Sharon Byers, chief development and marketing officer, American Cancer Society.
As an additional special promotion during Suits And Sneakers Week, and continuing through the end of the college basketball season, fans will have the opportunity to purchase an exclusive Coaches vs. Cancer tie, designed by Vineyard Vines. "We are thrilled to have the support of Vineyard Vines as our newest partner, and for the first time to invite fans around the nation to join the fun by bidding on exclusive apparel signed by our coaches in our first Suits And Sneakers online auction, which will raise critical funds to help us fight cancer," Byers added. Thirty percent of the proceeds from the sale of each tie will benefit the Coaches vs. Cancer program, in support of the American Cancer Society's overall lifesaving mission to lead the fight for a world without cancer.
Fans can also purchase a specially-designed pair of gold sneaker laces from longtime Coaches vs. Cancer partner Shoe Carnival – in stores and online. These laces honor the memory of Lacey Holsworth, an avid basketball fan who died of cancer at the age of eight in 2014. One hundred percent of the funds from the sale of laces will benefit both Coaches vs. Cancer (85% of proceeds) and Princess Lacey's Legacy (15% of proceeds), specifically to fight pediatric cancer.
"Wearing sneakers with our suits isn't just a symbolic gesture, it's a rallying cry to everyone that we need their help to crush cancer," said Phil Martelli, Coaches vs. Cancer Council Chair and head coach at Saint Joseph's University. "We will do everything we can until the day cancer no longer threatens lives."
For the past 25 years, the Coaches vs. Cancer program, in collaboration with the National Association of Basketball Coaches, has united coaches and fans nationwide to help the American Cancer Society defeat a common enemy – cancer. With your passion and dedicated support, the impact has been felt in communities nationwide. Through fundraising and education initiatives, the Coaches vs. Cancer program has supported the American Cancer Society in improving and saving lives from cancer in the US and worldwide. The fight isn't over, and we need you on our team. For more information and to join coaches in the fight against cancer, visit coachesvscancer.org
SOURCE American Cancer Society