I AM BURSTING WITH EXCITEMENT!!!  I have to share this with all of you.  Tomorrow (January 18) will be the first-ever Paint The Place Purple event at Olympia High School.  A local businessman came up with the idea to change our "Pack The Place" basketball game with an event to support a high school student who is battling cancer (for the second time) at St. Jude in Memphis.  Working with the booster club co-presidents, they've pulled this together in 2 months!!

UPDATE:  Newspaper article about the event.  This says it better than I can!   

http://www.pjstar.com/stories/011808/REG_BFHD586J.033.php

The Olympia Spartans (Stanford, IL) will be hosting their rival University High School Pioneers (Normal, IL) that evening.  (U-High also has a student who is a 2-year testicular cancer survivor.)  This is the first time an event like this has been held in our conference. 

The evening will benefit the American Cancer Society and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.  Everyone will be wearing purple!  Bands from both school, cheerleaders and fans.  Commemorative t-shirts were sold for the event.  100% of the cost of the t-shirts is being donated to the American Cancer Society as area businesses and families underwrote the cost of the t-shirts. 

The response has been amazing.  Initially, we were hoping to sell 500 t-shirts. We've sold 800!  That's $8000 for the ACS!!  (We could have sold more!!)  We're also selling moons and stars at both schools

 Additionally, the FFA is hosting their annual dinner and silent auction.  They are donating 10% of their proceeds.  We're having a raffle for a Wii, IPod and ITunes gift card to benefit St. Jude.

The student from U High will be our half time survivor speaker.  We'll recognize survivors and caregivers.

Keep in mind, these are two small high schools.  (600 students)  Planning started in November.  More than $10,000 will be raised to fight cancer!!

Please keep the students at these schools in your thoughts and prayers as they Celebrate.  Remember.  Fight Back!

Oh, one more thing.  The student at Olympia who is in treatment will be arriving home from St. Jude at 10 p.m tomorrow night!  We'll get to welcome her home after the game!