Sooners Lead the Way in Fundraising for Play4Kay

NORMAN – Oklahoma women's basketball continues to set an example nationally for fundraising in the fight against women's cancer.

For the second straight season, each player on OU's roster donated $25 to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. The Sooners provided the group with a $2,300 donation in 2018.

“Just the fact that the Oklahoma women's basketball team decided that each player would donate $25 a month for the game is very emotional,” Stephanie Glance, executive director of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, said. “Coach Yow spent her life pouring into players and to see a group of players decide to do something for others in such an impactful way. It speaks volume for the people they are and the impact they want to make.”

The initiative began during the 2016-17 season when several players encouraged OU's entire squad to save $25 a month from their cost of attendance money to donate back to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. OU donated $4,125 at the conclusion of the 2016-17 season.

Several teams nationally picked up on the Sooners' example and started their own donation programs for the 2017-18 season, including the University of Minnesota, who donated nearly $6,000 back to the fund in 2018.

The Sooners have also developed various programs to recognize cancer survivors during the season. For the past three seasons, OU has honored five cancer survivors at its annual “Play4Kay” game through a program titled “Our Star”. The initiative allows each cancer survivor and their family members to enjoy a VIP experience at OU's “Play4Kay” game.

Head coach Sherri Coale has served on the Kay Yow Cancer Fund's Board of Directors since 2012 and took over as president of the group in 2015. She continues to play a vital role in the Kay Yow Cancer Fund's fundraising efforts, while working with coaches around the nation to educate their teams on Coach Yow's legacy and impact.

“(Sherri Coale's) commitment to the fund is a driving force and she's been in it from the beginning,” Glance stated. “Her passion and leadership are vital for our group to help get buy in from other programs across the country.”

The group fundraises year-round, but one of the major fundraising opportunities for the organization is its annual weekend of golf held in late August at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina.

“Kay Yow Cancer Golf Classic has been our primary fundraising event that we carry out as a staff and Board of Directors,” Glance said. “It provides an opportunity to bring a number of people together from inside women's basketball and around the country to come together to raise money for all women's cancers.

“The golf tournament continues to be an event that unites people, which is originally why Kay Yow started the cancer fund with women's basketball leading the way. It's a special thing that inside the sport that the fund has been able to give 5.53 million.”

If you would like to donate to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, click here.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sooners Lead the Way in Fundraising for Play4Kay

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