Football raises money for cancer center

Rome High School’s football team helps Floyd Medical Center by raising money for cancer screenings.

Rome High School announced Thursday that football coaches, parents and players will donate money they have raised in the community to The Breast Center at Floyd, which provides comprehensive diagnostic services and breast health education.

As he watched the ways people wore pink clothing on television and even locally on the field, Football Coach John Reid said he wanted to make sure his team knew why they needed to raise awareness about breast cancer and why the fight is worth it.

“We thought that by collecting donations and awarding each player who raised money with a helmet sticker, we could be more unified in showing our support for women affected by this disease,” said Reid. “Last year they said that the money we raised was able to provide examinations for 10 or 12 women who would not have otherwise been able to afford the follow-up after a health problem was discovered.”

Reid said some players may have some trouble affording expensive pink items to wear during a game, but every player who suits up and takes the field will now have a helmet sticker. The show of solidarity is an important lesson Reid hopes to pass on to his players, hopefully making them more aware of the importance of giving back.

“Over the past 10 years, there has been a show of support with football players wearing pink shoes, gloves and other uniform items on the field,” said Reid. “We wanted to make sure that our players are aware that spending money on shoes and gloves does not necessarily help as much as getting directly involved in the fight against breast cancer.”

Reid said there was a woman whom one of the players talked to about donating; she gave a $25 donation because she is a breast cancer survivor. Rome Wolves Football will donate

a check for the money raised to The Breast Center at Floyd this Friday night at Barron Stadium. Rome Football has also asked that all attending wear pink to show their support for breast cancer awareness in what the school has named the Pink-Out Game. Friday night is also senior night, where Rome High will recognize the seniors from the football team, band, cheerleaders and their families.

Sameer Musleh of the Phoenix Learning Center assembles plastic pipe that will become a booth at the Floyd County Teen Maze. Phoenix Learning Center students and faculty visited the Coosa Valley Fairgrounds to help construct the Teen Maze. PLC’s goal was to give their students a chance to give back to their community while also helping them learn to make good decisions.