Photo by Ryan Ottney | Daily Times
Teams in the Wheelersburg Little League swapped their regular uniforms last week to “Strike Out Cancer” and raise money for one local woman’s battle.
By RYAN SCOTT OTTNEY
PDT Staff Writer
WHEELERSBURG — Wheelersburg Little League swapped their uniforms last week to show their support for cancer research and one local woman’s battle.
Each teams traded their regular uniforms last week for new ones with the bright colors of cancer research. One team wore yellow for stomach cancer, one wore pink for breast cancer, other teams wore teal, blue, periwinkle, and one wore rainbow-colored tie-dye shirts for all colors. The event was called “Strike Out Cancer, Find the Cure.”
“We have a 9- and 10-(year old) girls coach, and his wife Angie Vallance has been stricken with cancer for the third time. So all the proceeds that we raised go to her. We raised over $1,000 in this last week just from shirt sales and donations, and selling ‘Team Angie’ bracelets,” said Little League Coach Jim Vastine.
He said that with an issue as prevalent as cancer, it touches almost everyone’s lives.
“As you know, this is a high cancer area. One of the coaches here lost his family member to stomach cancer, and another coach’s mom has breast cancer. My sister has cervical cancer and my dad has prostate cancer,” Vastine said.
Coach Matt McCorkle, of the Mac McFarland Team, said this is a wonderful event to teach children the importance of community and helping others.
“I think this is a great opportunity for our kids to have an awareness that they’re doing something good and helping out their community. Too many times when you do the athletics, you get caught-up with the idea that it’s all about competition. I think this puts everybody on the same team, where it needs to be,” McCorkle said.
Vastine said the Wheelersburg community is a very close one, and always turns out to help their own.
“It’s not about winning up here. It’s about making sure that we help who we need to help, and strike out cancer as much as we can,” he said.
Ryan Scott Ottney can be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 235, or rottney@heartlandpublications.com.
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