Utica, NY (2/11/13)- The Utica College women's hockey team is going gold for its final regular season home game as it takes on SUNY Cortland on Tuesday.  The Pioneers have teamed up with the Shawn Grady Fund to host the first ever “Gold Ribbon Game” for childhood cancer awareness. The Pioneers will be wearing collector's edition white and gold jerseys during the game.  Face off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

The jerseys will be auctioned off during the game. The minimum bid for a gold jersey is $100 and you can also purchase the jersey immediately for $300. Bidding must be made in increments of $5.

There will also be a 50/50 raffle, t-shirts for sale and a table set up for donations.  All proceeds will be donated to help ease the medical costs of a local family that is currently dealing with the disease.

“This is a great opportunity to help spread awareness for a good cause,” said Utica head coach, Dave Clausen.  “The UC women's hockey family has been directly affected by the disease and we want to show our support for all who are fighting. Working with the Shawn Grady Fund was a perfect fit because we are able to help a family right in our own back yard.  Giving back to the local community is very important to our team and we like to lend a hand whenever we can.”  

The Shawn Grady Fund is a non-profit organization created by the Grady family of nearby Clinton, NY to help the families of local children that suffer from life-threatening illnesses. The Fund is dedicated to the memory of Shawn Grady who was diagnosed with cancer in the fall of his sophomore year in High School. After a courageous battle, Shawn died of cancer complications at the age of 16. During his long illness, the entire community pitched in to help the Grady family defray the tremendously high medical costs. As a fitting memorial to their son, the Grady's established the Fund as their way of giving something back to the community that offered so much support in their time of need.  To find out more information about the Shawn Grady Fund, visit ShawnGradyFund.org.


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