West Virginia University basketball Coach Bob Huggins has been a strong voice for cancer research. His Norma Mae Huggins Cancer Fund was created in memory of his mother who passed away from the illness. Now, alumni and friends all over the country are joining his crusade by hosting game watches in support of the fund.
More than 30 WVU Alumni Association chapters and constituent groups are banding together tonight (Feb. 16) to cheer the Mountaineers to victory over the Pitt Panthers, while raising money for the Norma Mae Huggins Cancer Fund. This is the eighth year the groups have participated in a national service project in conjunction with a game watch, raising funds for the WVU Children’s Hospital, local food banks and other worthwhile causes.
As part of the event, each participating chapter is raffling off an autographed Huggie Bear basket, courtesy of Huggie Bear products. All proceeds from the various raffles will be combined and presented to Coach Bob Huggins for the fund at this year’s Alumni Leaders Institute, scheduled for the weekend of April 21 in Morgantown.
“This event is a great opportunity to bring together alumni across the nation to display our Mountaineer spirit and the generous efforts from all our chapter volunteers,” said Gregg Cave, Director of Outreach, WVU Alumni Association. “We are grateful to have such committed alumni who want to support these organizations, particularly one that is very close to our WVU family.”
As an incentive, each chapter that collects $500 or more from the raffle will be entered to win a Final Four poster signed by team members and Coach Huggins, also courtesy of Huggie Bear products. The winning chapter will be able to then use this prize for special events, including events that support local scholarship funds for WVU students.
Chapters participating in the nationwide game watch, include: Boone County Alumni & Friends, Eastern Panhandle Chapter, Marion County Chapter, University Chapter/HR&E Alumni in West Virginia; Greater Pittsburgh, Liberty Bell and Central PA chapters in Pennsylvania and New Jersey; Delaware Chapter; Low Country Mountaineers and Grand Strand Chapter in South Carolina; Central Virginia, Blue Ridge Mountaineers, National Capital Area chapters in Virginia; Music City Chapter in Nashville, Tenn.; RTP Chapter in Raleigh, North Carolina; Cincinnati/Dayton Chapter; NY/NJ Metro Chapter in New York; Peach State Chapter in Atlanta, Ga.; Lone Star Chapter in Houston, Texas; and the Pacific Northwest Chapter in Portland, Ore.
WVU and Pitt tip off at 9 p.m. in Pittsburgh. For more information, visit http://alumni.wvu.edu.
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CONTACT: Tara Curtis, WVU Alumni Association
304-293-4731, tecurtis@mail.wvu.edu
Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.