PLYMOUTH, Wis. – Lakeland University Athletics is excited to announce a special event for our football game against Aurora University on Saturday, a game that has been themed Pink Out for Breast Cancer Awareness.
During halftime, Lakeland will honor the incredible efforts of the Breast Friend Cancer Foundation, founded by 1999 Lakeland women's basketball alum, Becky (Gibula) Tagel.
Becky, a former Lakeland women's basketball player, has channeled her passion into the creation of the Breast Friend Cancer Foundation. Becky was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020 and will hit her official remission date in 2025. She started this foundation as a way to give back to women in Sheboygan County who are on a similar journey that she had. The Breast Friend Foundation works hard to remind women they are not alone in their journey through the creation of care packages and providing financial assistance to those undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Alongside her family members, Becky has turned personal challenges into a mission to support others facing similar battles.
"Lakeland definitely taught me the definition of community," she said, "and now here we are, 25 years later, and on Saturday, the Lakeland University Football team will be bringing awareness to breast cancer. I used to think these were such cool team events, until I became the one with the diagnosis. These days mean so much more to me now. They truly represent people standing together, supporting each other, fighting for each other, and most importantly showing what a team of people can do to make a difference in someone's life."
The event will include a variety of ways for attendees to contribute to the foundation's important work, including a table selling a variety of items such as socks, stress footballs, cowbells, bracelets, pins, hair scrunchies, and more. In addition to these items, attendees can make a donation and write the name of someone they love who is fighting or has fought breast cancer on a pink football or can purchase a Christmas ornament, and for each one bought, the foundation will match it by gifting another to patients at the Lombardi Cancer Clinic in Sheboygan. This gesture serves as a reminder to patients that they are not alone in their fight.
There will also be a raffle basket featuring items such as a cozy blanket, a tote bag, and a sparkly football tumbler cup! As part of the engaging festivities, there will be a Pink T-Shirt Toss during the game, where fans can catch Knockout Cancer shirts in support of breast cancer awareness.
Join us on Saturday at 1p.m. to honor Becky Tagel, support the Breast Friend Cancer Foundation, and stand together in the fight against breast cancer. Let's show our community spirit and commitment to raising awareness and providing support for those impacted. Together, we can make a difference.
