WESTERVILLE, Ohio – During the annual Smokey Ballenger Classic held at the end of December, Otterbein gathered canned goods and monetary donations, which were distributed among several recipient organizations.
Over the two day event, Otterbein collected approximately 1,122 pounds of canned goods. A large portion of those were donated to Westerville Area Resource Ministry (WARM) and another 190 pounds were donated to the Otterbein University Promise House.
"The tournament provided 190 pounds of food to The Promise House, Otterbein's resource center and food pantry. We greatly appreciate this donation as students return to campus for the new year and often find that balancing college expenses and their basic needs is a challenging task," said Melissa Gilbert, Dean of Student Engagement. "The wide variety of food donated will help The Promise House meet the nutritional needs of our students and ensure that they have a choice over the meals that fuel their education."
Additionally, Otterbein raised $933 in cash donations that will be split between Coaches vs. Cancer and Play4Kay.
The Promise House was founded in 2016 to help break down the socioeconomic barriers to student success. The students who started the pantry made a promise to their peers that food insecurity would never be a barrier to graduation. Today, over 70 students a week shop at the pantry to grab a bite to eat between classes or plan a week's worth of meals. The Promise House also provides emergency grants and connections to many external partners who provide other services that help Cardinals flourish.
WARM is a local non-profit organization that provides compassion, short-term assistance, educational services and spiritual support to encourage individuals and restore dignity/hope.
The Coaches vs. Cancer program is a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches. This initiative leverages the personal experiences, community leadership, and professional excellence of coaches nationwide to increase cancer awareness and promote healthy living through year-round awareness efforts, fundraising activities, and advocacy programs.
Play4Kay is the largest fundraising initiative of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund and the vision of its founder, Olympic Gold Medal-winning and Naismith Hall of Fame coach, Kay Yow. For Coach Yow it was simple, to unite people through sport in the fight against cancer. Through Play4Kay, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund has a national impact, extending hope to survivors & thrivers by raising money for life-saving cancer research and under-resourced programs that provide access to quality cancer healthcare.
The Otterbein basketball programs each turned in a 2-0 record during the Smokey Ballenger Classic, and will host Capital on Jan. 10 for a doubleheader commencing at 5 p.m.
