Oct. 21, 2009

"Knockin' Cancer Out Of The Ballpark" Flyer
Letter from Long Family

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The Samford University softball team will team up with players from UAB, UAH, and Jefferson State Community College to help Children's Hospital fight childhood cancer this Sunday, Oct. 25. The fifth annual "Knockin' Cancer Out of the Ballpark" softball tournament will be held at Samford's Bulldog field.

Gates open at 1 p .m. with the first pitch set for 2 p.m. Admission is free and donations are welcome.

Over the past four years, the event has raised over $90,000 in donations for the cause. All proceeds from this event will be donated to the UAB Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Research Program at Children's Hospital in Birmingham. Donations will be accepted at the entrance to the game and a fun zone will be set up for patrons to enjoy. Fun zone activities include concessions, moon jumps, games and prizes and visits from Hand-in-Paw therapy dog teams.

"We are pleased to host the fifth annual Knockin' Cancer Out Of The Ballpark event," Samford head coach Beanie Ketcham said. "This is a great event to make people aware of pediatric cancer and to honor the families that have been impacted. We hope the money raised will help meet the needs of researchers and families as we fight to find a cure for cancer."

This heart-felt event hits close to home for both Samford's Ketcham and Alabama-Huntsville's head coach Les Stuedeman.

Stuedeman, a former player at Samford, and Ketcham both have a mutual friend, Anne Long, whose son, Andrew, lost his fight with brain cancer at the age of eight in 2007. When asked by Ketcham and Stuedeman what could be done to help, Long's adamant response was to raise money for pediatric brain cancer.

Ketcham, Stuedeman and Long all attended and played basketball at Vestavia Hills High School together.

The Children's Hospital of Alabama is the 10th busiest pediatric medical center in the United States. The UAB Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at Children's Hospital is Alabama's single largest provider of specialized pediatric services for all forms of cancer, leukemia, brain and spinal cord tumors, hemophilia and other bleeding disorders and sickle cell diseases.

It is also home to the Lowder Bone Marrow Transplant program, the only pediatric bone marrow transplant program in the state. Ninety-five percent of the children in Alabama diagnosed with childhood cancer and other blood disorders are treated by the UAB Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at Children's Hospital.