RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Members of Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU) Men’s Basketball team were joined by Children’s Hospital of Richmond (CHoR) patients at the team’s practice facility Tuesday to paint sneakers which will be worn and auctioned to raise awareness and money for the fight against cancer.
The shoes painted by the players and patients will be worn by members of the team’s coaching staff during a home game against Loyola University Chicago on Tuesday, Jan. 23, at which the participating CHoR patients and their families will be in attendance.
After the game, the shoes will be auctioned and the proceeds will go to the CHoR pediatric cancer program and the VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center. The initiative is part of Coaches vs. Cancer, a program done in collaboration with the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
“It’s an awesome opportunity for the kids and us to spend quality time together. It’s good for us to use our influence for something positive,” said senior guard and team captain Zeb Jackson. “It’s good for the kids to be creative and present in the moment and not have to worry about anything else. The kids have been freestylin’ and they’re looking really good.”
14-year-old Omari Briggs, a freshman in high school who is undergoing treatment for T-cell lymphoma, was excited about the event and spent much of the time with freshman forward Kuany Kuany.
“He’s been asking me all week, ‘What day are we going? What day are we going?’ When he first got diagnosed, we were in the house a lot. It’s really nice to get out of the house and do things like this,” said Omari’s dad, Omar, a former Virginia Union University basketball player. “This year he’s sitting out from his sports, but hopefully next year he can get back to it. As far as the sneakers go, that’s right down his alley.”
The Rams are not Virginia’s only basketball team participating in Coaches vs. Cancer this season. The University of Virginia’s Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams both met with UVA Health Children’s patients to paint shoes on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023.
