New Haven, Conn. -- Through the WBCA's THINK PINK campaign, promoting awareness of the fight against breast cancer, the University of New Haven Department of Athletics raised $2,000 for the Hospital of Saint Raphael's Father Michael J. McGivney Center for Cancer Care.  UNH presented a check at their regular-season basketball finale at Charger Gymnasium on Wednesday night (Feb. 20).

Making the presentation on behalf of UNH were Director of Athletics Deborah Chin, women's basketball head coach Jessica Smith, Associate Director of Athletics Susan Zawacki, Delta Phi Epsilon sorority members Heather Fife, Erika Arruda, Amanda Fusco, Katie Davis, and members of the Interest Group of Sigma Chi who got their heads shaved as part of the Be Bold, Go Bald! fundraising drive.

Accepting the check on behalf of the Father Michael J. McGivney Center for Cancer Care were Buck Wilson, Executive Director of the Saint Raphael Foundation, Lucy Sirico, Director of the Saint Raphael Capital Campaign, Dr. Joseph Cardinale, Medical Director, and McGivney Center staff members Peggy Black, Deb Scully and Tochi Okeke.

UNH women's basketball celebrated the THINK PINK effort at its game vs. Molloy College on Saturday, February 9 at 2:00 p.m.  (View Photo Gallery) 

The team wore pink shoelaces during the game to show their support, and on February 16, UNH welcomed the Yale-New Haven Hospital mobile mammography van onto campus.

Those events, and Wednesday's check presentation, were the culmination of a full week of awareness on the UNH campus leading up to the game.  Students, faculty and staff signed pink ribbons, which were displayed in Charger Gymnasium, or signed pink t-shirts that were worn by the UNH's women's basketball team during warm-ups. Women's Basketball team members and cheerleaders also solicited pink ribbon-signing donations from faculty and staff on campus the week prior to the game.

Additionally, UNH's fraternities and sororities helped sponsor the "Be Bold, Go Bald!" fundraising initiative, where students helped raise money by shaving their heads.  Charger Football head coach Peter Rossomando even made a guest appearance to have his head cleaned up!

The "Think Pink" initiative is part of UNH Athletics' broader Community Engagement efforts, which seek to help immerse the surrounding towns and community organizations in life at the university while providing opportunities for student-athletes and coaches to give back to their communities.  For more information about UNH's "Think Pink" efforts, or for any of UNH's Community Engagement projects, please contact Associate Director of Athletics Susan Zawacki by calling 203.932.7357 or e-mail szawacki@newhaven.edu.