NORWICH – The Norwich High School Junior Varsity and Varsity Boys Basketball teams won’t be the only ones pitching in for the American Cancer Society’s Coaches vs. Cancer fundraiser this weekend.

Tonight, the NHS JV and Varsity Girls Basketball teams – in addition to the NHS Varsity Cheerleaders – will hold their own home-game fundraiser, at 6 and 7:45 p.m. respectively. According to NHS Varsity Cheerleading Coach Marie DeSarro, this is simply part of the school’s ongoing effort to raise cancer awareness locally.

“After we put together the ‘Pink Game’ during the October football season, to promote breast cancer awareness, we decided that we wanted to hold another event during basketball season,” said DeSarro. “It worked out really well for us that there was a girls game on Friday and a boys game on Saturday.”

Founded by the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches, the Coaches vs. Cancer program brings coaches, teams and communities together in the fight against cancer, added DeSarro. Since its inception in 1993, the program has raised approximately $45 million in funds for cancer research and education, and improved the quality of life for countless cancer patients and their families.