CINCINNATI – Xavier Athletics and Mount St. Joseph University have announced a planned giveaway of 5,000 bobbleheads at the first annual Lauren Hill Tipoff Classic at Cintas Center on Nov. 14.
The bobblehead of former MSJ student Lauren Hill depicts an iconic image of her first points as a collegiate player, recognizing the "Layup4Lauren" social media initiative to raise awareness for pediatric brain cancer. Hill's story gained national attention as she set out to raise awareness for The Cure Starts Now Foundation. Her goal of raising one million dollars for the foundation has already been surpassed.
"Lauren would have loved the bobblehead of herself," said Lisa Hill, the mother of Lauren Hill. "It's a fun way to celebrate Lauren's first collegiate basket. This was the "Best Moment" of 2014 for my family seeing her achieve her sports dream. I hope this little memento reminds people to NEVER GIVE UP! "
The games will honor the late Lauren Hill, a Mount St. Joseph student who played for the Lions despite battling DIPG, an inoperable brain tumor. Hill hit the court for her first collegiate game on Nov. 2, 2014 against Hiram College in front of a sold out crowd of 10,250 at Cintas Center on national television.
The doubleheader takes place on the opening weekend of college basketball with Xavier opening the day against Evansville at 1 p.m. Mount St. Joseph will play Hiram College approximately 30 minutes following the conclusion of game one. Both games of the doubleheader will be televised on FOX Sports Ohio.
Ticket proceeds from the games will benefit The Cure Starts Now Foundation, a not-for-profit committed to raising money for homerun cancer research. To learn more about the charity, visit www.thecurestartsnow.org.
As part of the event, The Cure Starts Now Foundation, WLWT Channel 5, WXIX Channel 19 and WKRC Channel 12 will present the "2.2M for 22 in 22" Telethon. Seeking to further Lauren Hill's efforts and achieve her ultimate goal of $2.2 million in new cancer research funding, this telethon will run through the night for 22 hours prior to the tipoff of the Lauren Hill Classic. Donations can be made either through www.layup4lauren.com or by calling 513-772-4888.
