We have been blessed to have been able to partner with some amazing organizations that share our vision and values. One of the most recent, is The Bruce Pearl Family Foundation, founded by Auburn University Head Basketball Coach, Bruce Pearl. Bruce is a leader, both on and off the court, supporting folks all over in the quest for healthier lives and better outcomes when it comes to cancer through his non-profit and its program, AUTLIVE Cancer. This year, AUTLIVE teamed up with us here at the Joy to Life Foundation, making us a signature charity supported by the annual AUTLIVE basketball game—which just so happened to be against Auburn’s main rival, the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide!
Coach Pearl described it like this: “The Bruce Pearl Family Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing support to children and families facing challenging and life altering illnesses, while AUTLIVE raises the awareness of cancer prevention and detection with its t-shirt sales and donations raise money to benefit cancer patients and their local hospital. Proceeds benefit cancer patients and treatment centers in Coosa Valley, East Alabama Medical Center, Russell Medical Center, Children’s of Alabama, Montgomery Cancer Center, Smile-A-Mile the L5 Foundation in Knoxville, Tenn., and now the Joy to Life Foundation. The OUTLIVE program (as it was called in the beginning) was started in 2009 during my time at Tennessee in recognition of former Vol Chris Lofton, who beat testicular cancer through early diagnosis and local treatment. He went on to play the entire 2007-08 season while battling the disease.
AUTLIVE is not just about raising funds, it is a reminder for to people to go in to see your doctor and find out what tests are you supposed to have at your age given your gender to do the screenings for cancer. This is not for research; it’s for people that are battling cancer who need the help so that they can outlive cancer. By hosting the AUTLIVE events, we want to use our platform on a national broadcast versus our in-state rivals to tell that story and to remind fans to go out and get that screening done that you’ve been waiting on. We feel that the No. 1 way to beat cancer is to detect it early and be able to fight it on your home court.
That’s why we decided to partner with Joy to Life. For many, to even go and get a mammogram or breast cancer screening can be expensive, so if we can assist in providing funds for Alabama women and men to go do that, then it’s a good thing.
The message is simple: spread the word and encourage your friends to go get that mammogram done. If you are not in a position to financially buy a t-shirt or donate, be a good friend, neighbor or family member and remind them to get the screenings done.”
Thanks to Coach Pearl and the AUTLIVE program, we have been able to fund over 50 mammograms for medically underserved Alabamians who wouldn’t be able to receive one any other way.
No matter who your root for, that deserves a big “WAR EAGLE”!!
If you would like to support the AUTLIVE program, click here to purchase one of their AUTLIVE tees.