University of Tennessee Athletics
Baseball Vols Raising Funds for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
September 11, 2008 | Baseball
Sept. 11, 2008
Tennessee head baseball coach Todd Raleigh announced Thursday that he and his team plan to once again take an active role in fundraising for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in conjunction with the Light The Night Walk at Knoxville's Volunteer Landing on Thursday, Oct. 2.
In a player-driven effort last fall, the baseball team exceeded its fundraising goal of $5,000 and netted a total of $6,125 for the prevention of blood cancers. The cause is one that touches home for Raleigh, who lost his oldest brother, John Raleigh III, to Hodgkin's Disease when John was 19-years-old.
"This cause means a lot to me personally, and I know that many of our players feel the same way," Raleigh said. "The support we received from the UT family and East Tennessee community last year was amazing, so I'm confident that we can raise even more money this time around. Our goal is $10,000. That's a lot, but we can do it."
In the hopes of generating momentum for the baseball team's fundraising efforts, Raleigh and his wife, Stephanie, kicked things off with a $1,000 donation.
Fans can contribute to the team's fundraising goal by visiting http://www.active.com/donate/ltnNashvi/UT_baseball_08
This year, the baseball team plans to expand its fundraising efforts. In addition to taking part in the Light The Night Walk, the Vols also plan to collect donations for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at their Orange & White World Series games this fall. Raleigh has scheduled a majority of the intrasquad games to coincide with home football weekends, giving Tennessee fans who are in town for the weekend an opportunity to enjoy free baseball at the new-look Robert M. Lindsay Field at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on Friday nights.
The Vols experienced the heartache caused by cancer firsthand this past spring when outfielder Jarred Frazier lost his mother, Lynn, following a long battle with osteosarcoma. Frazier missed a portion of the Vols season to be with his family, and his teammates displayed his jersey in the dugout during his absence while also writing the initials "MF" on their game caps in remembrance of "Mama Frazier."
"All the student-athletes here at UT do a lot of community service projects and charity work," Frazier, a rising senior, said. "But for me, this is special. The more money we raise, the greater the chances that they can find a cure."
