Citizens Bank Stadium will see an influx of pink floating through the area when the Elizabethton High School football team prepares for the conference game next week.
During their “Pink Out” contest with Claiborne on Friday, Oct. 7, Cyclones players, cheerleaders and fans alike will be donning pink attire to help raise awareness for breast cancer.
Working alongside the school system, Farm Bureau Insurance of Tennessee and the American Cancer Society have partnered to raise funds and awareness for the cause. The Farm Bureau Insurance office will be offering shirts, hats and providing pinks jerseys to help in the fight.
“This is about positive community involvement,” Farm Bureau agent Daniel Grindstaff said. “Cancer affects somewhere down the line in just about every family anymore. This gets the schools involved, we are involved as agents and as an insurance company we’re involved. It’s positive community involved and supporting a great cause all at the same time.”
Shirts will be available at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 3, at the Farm Bureau office and be on sale up until Friday night’s game. Shirts are $10 with shirt sizes from XXL and up at $12. Shirts will be on sale until supplies last. The office will also have hats on sale for $3, but there is a limited amount left, Grindstaff added.
The sponsors for this year’s program includes Farm Bureau Insurance of Tennessee, the Carter County Farm Bureau Board, American Cancer Society, Elizabethton-Carter County Chamber of Commerce, Happy Valley Credit Union, LaPorte and Norris Attorneys at Law, Mullins Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, Security Federal Bank, Smoke Busters and WBEJ.
“All of the proceeds go to the American Cancer Society,” Grindstaff said. “If somebody wants to also provide a monetary donation, we’ll be set up at a booth right as soon as you get to the gate during Friday night’s game.”
The Cyclones are no strangers to donning the pink attire while battling on the gridiron to raise awareness for a cause that spans worldwide. Travis Rowland of Farm Bureau, who has worked with the school system, added that parents will be able to purchase the pink jerseys of their players for $20.
“All the proceeds from that will also go to the American Cancer Society,” Rowland said.
The “Pink Out” initiative has proven to be successful for Farm Bureau of Tennessee with last year’s program raising $100,000 statewide.
With cancer impacting so many families, the opportunity to assist in the endeavor is hard to pass up, Rowland added.
“My father-in-law died of cancer,” he said. “This is something that means a lot to me and everyone here at the office. Being able to do this is huge. Statistics say one out of eight women will get breast cancer in their lifetime. Anything we can do to help raise money and awareness to help with research to cure this disease.”