cancer awareness

The Byron-Bergen Sports Boosters fourth annual Day of Soccer (Homecoming) will be held on Saturday, Sept. 14.

This is also the eighth annual fundraising event of the Byron-Bergen Girls Varsity Soccer Team.

Girls' teams and boys' teams will play soccer all day. There will also be gift basket raffles, 50/50 raffles, along with concessions. Proceeds from this event will go to the Wilmot Cancer Institute and, added this year, Crossroads House.

The games will be played at the Byron-Bergen Soccer Stadium, 6917 W. Bergen Road, Bergen.

The schedule is:

• 9:30 a.m. -- Boys Modified
• 11 a.m. -- Girls Modified
• 12:30 p.m. -- Boys Junior Varsity
• 2:30 p.m. -- Boys Varsity
• 4:30 p.m. -- Girls Junior Varsity
• 6:30 p.m. -- Girls Varsity

To make a monetary donation, make check payable to Byron-Bergen Central School and mail to Byron-Bergen High School, 6917 W. Bergen Road, Bergen NY 14416; or call (585) 297-3352.

Donations of gift baskets are welcome.

Contacts are:

Diane MacCowan -- (585) 503-2081 -- dmaccowan@yahoo.com

Tammy Fuller -- (585) 297-3352 -- tfullerstamps@yahoo.com

Alyson Tardy -- (585) 414-8031 -- atardy@bbschools.org

Walkers finished Genesee Community College's six-hour "mini Relay for Life" last night with a dusk "Luminaria Ceremony" honoring the memory of cancer victims and people lives have been touched by cancer. The bags lining their path contained lit candles and each one was dedicated to a particular individual.

Suzanne Smith, of Batavia, "Luminaria Ceremony" coordinator and cancer survivor, is pictured here with her sons, Richie and Mikey.

This is the college's second annual "mini Relay for Life," which is a partnership between GCC's Wellness Center and the American Cancer Society.  It is also a sort of prelude to the annual "Relay for Life" at Van Detta Stadium, which will be held on Aug. 24.

More pictures:

Kristina Groff, American Cancer Society staff partner, and Michelle Williams, the event chair.

Master of Ceremonies John Kochmanski, who is with the college's radio station.

Jace Little, fundraising specialist and safety officer at College Village, and Tiffany Ralston, who was on the event's public relations committee and serves as a "Living Learning" advisor at College Village.

For more information on "Relay for Life," visit relayforlife.org/bataviany

The Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation held a "Foundation Awareness Day" at Lions Park Saturday during the Batavia Bulldawgs football games. The Foundation was established in 2007 in memory of Michael C. Napoleone, who died from Burkitts Lymphoma/Leukemia, an aggressive form of blood cancer.

Some of the things the foundation has done since its inception are: Contribute more than $35,000 for pediatric cancer research; assist more than 180 families; and give $95,000 in support; give $3,500 for items on the clinic's wish list for patients at the Pediatric Treatment Center at Golisano Children's Hospital at the U of R Medical Center; and donate more $17,000 to youth sports and other youth organizations.  

Please visit www.michaelshope.org to learn more about, or contribute to, this wonderful organization.

Christen Napoleone presenting a check for $500 to the Batavia Bulldawgs Organization

Attica High School senior Ashley Brotherton telling her story about surviving cancer.

Bulldawgs team jerseys were presented to Laurie and Mark Napoleone.

In the picture are Ellen DellaPenna, Griffin DellaPenna, Laurie Napoleone, Ben Humes (Bulldawgs vice commissioner), Mark Napoleone, Matt DellaPenna, and John Reigle (Bulldawgs commissioner).