Oct. 24, 2008

Center Valley, Pa.--Patriot League programs will spend this weekend raising money to fight a pair of afflictions. On Friday, all eight Patriot League volleyball teams will participate in Dig Pink Night in four different arenas. The League has joined with the American Volleyball Coaches Association in an effort to fight breast cancer. On Saturday, five Patriot League football programs will join with the American Football Coaches Association on its newest charitable project -- Coach to Cure Muscular Dystrophy, in partnership with Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD), the only organization in the country dedicated solely to Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Dig Pink is a National Breast Cancer awareness rally taking place throughout the month of October. Four institutions will host Dig Pink night to raise money and awareness for breast cancer. To date, Patriot League schools have raised over $4,000 for the cause. More than $130,000 has already been raised by Dig Pink at high school and college volleyball matches this season.

For fans attending the 7 p.m. Lafayette-Bucknell match in Easton, Pa., there is no admission, and free pizza and prizes will be given out. A table with breast cancer awareness literature will also be set up and pink ribbons will be distributed to fans, who are encouraged to wear pink. Donations will be accepted throughout the evening and raffle prizes will be given away between each set with the final prize being a game ball signed by the Lafayette volleyball team. The Leopard will also make a visit to the match. One hundred percent of donations collected during the match will be sent directly to the Side-Out Foundation.

Lehigh's 7 p.m. match against Colgate will culminate an entire week of pink-related activities on the Lehigh campus. Fans in Bethlehem, Pa. can participate in the Dig Pink campaign by donating money to one of the pink volleyballs in the arena.

Navy and American will also host Dig Pink on Friday. All fans attending the Navy-Holy Cross match will have the opportunity to win one of three pink regulation sized volleyballs, as well as obtain literature on the battle against the disease. Fans attending any of the four matches are encouraged to wear pink.

On Saturday, college football coaches across the country will be wearing the Coach to Cure MD armband during their games. Their schools are participating as well, with various initiatives and other activities to build awareness about the disease and support researchers trying to find a treatment and cure. Five Patriot League schools are actively participating in this important project: Bucknell, Colgate, Fordham, Georgetown and Lehigh.

"College football is a team game and all of us in the coaching profession are asking football fans to help us defeat the Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy," said Grant Teaff, a coaching legend at Baylor University, who is now the Executive Director of the American Football Coaches Association.

Football fans will be able to donate to muscular dystrophy research either online at CoachToCureMD.org or by texting the word "CURE" to 90999 to automatically donate $5 from their mobile phones.

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is the most common fatal genetic disorder diagnosed during childhood. Because the Duchenne gene is found on the X-chromosome, it primarily affects boys and occurs across all races and cultures.

For more information on Coach to Cure MD, visit www.parentprojectmd.org. To learn more about Dig Pink, visit http://www.sideoutvolleyball.org.