Event part of the Gryphons’ breast cancer fundraising initiative
The Guelph Gryphons football team came together with the community on Thursday, Oct. 12 in the University Centre to show their support for the battle against breast cancer. Breast cancer will affect one in eight Canadian women during their lifetime.
[media-credit id=121 align=”alignnone” width=”1020″]
The “herd,” the name that the Gryphons’ linemen call themselves, went up in groups of three to get their hair cut and prepped for donation. A lot of these men had hair down to their shoulders and beyond.
“I’ve been growing my hair for almost two years, I know some guys on the team that have been growing their hair for more than three. I’ll be sad to see it go, but it’ll always grow back,” Nikko Morito-Barber, Gryphons’ offensive lineman, told The Ontarion.
Offensive line coach, Mike MacDonald, explained at the fundraiser that his role as a coach is not only to teach the men football, but also to show them how to give back to their communities. He emphasized the importance of coming together as a whole to support their families and friends.
[media-credit id=121 align=”alignnone” width=”1020″]
“This was a way to raise awareness and funds and to donate for breast cancer, not just breast cancer, but all cancers. A lot of my team have personal stories and family members that have been impacted by cancer,” MacDonald said at the event. “One player has lost a mother to cancer eight years ago. I am personally a survivor to cancer, so it’s a personal story for a lot of us. The original goal was to raise two thousand dollars, and as of right now, we are at six thousand.”
[media-credit id=121 align=”alignnone” width=”1020″]
The Gryphons raised a total of $13,900, according to their football Twitter account. Of that amount, $6,300 will be donated to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, and $7,600 will be given to the Canadian Cancer Society.
[media-credit id=121 align=”alignnone” width=”1020″]
MacDonald added, “The community is stepping up and [donating] online as well.”
As for the game, the Guelph Gryphons dominated the Laurier Golden Hawks with a 24-14 win.
[media-credit id=121 align=”alignnone” width=”1020″]
Photo by Alora Griffiths