2021 Reps for Kids Huge Success
12/20/2021
NEWARK, Del. - A total of 417 Delaware student-athletes came together on Dec. 9 at the Bob Carpenter Center and the Whitney Athletic Center to play games, have fun, and get reps in to raise money for kids and families battling cancer.
Reps for Kids, an event organized by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), which works closely with UDance, the B+ Foundation and Andrews Athletes to help raise money and awareness for childhood cancer.
Jacob Bishop (Men's swimming and diving and SAAC programming director)
Putting together Reps for Kids was such a rewarding experience. After having been virtual for a year, Bridget [Bergan] and I were excited to bring the event back in-person. We could not have been successful in doing this without every student-athlete. From having our SAAC reps helping us run our stations to every athlete being so heavily involved in fundraising, it was truly a team effort to make this by far the most successful Reps for Kids event to date. It really shows that we are committed to being a part of something greater than ourselves here at Delaware.
Joe McDonough, founder and director of the B+ Foundation, made a special appearance for the event to share his message about the foundation and the impact the student-athletes could make. The Andrew McDonough B+ (Be Positive) Foundation, named in honor of Joe's son who died of Leukemia at the age of 14 in 2007, is largest provider of financial assistance to families of kids with cancer nationwide. The B+ Heroes program matches children battling cancer with different organizations throughout the area, including many Delaware athletics teams.
Teams were paired up and went head-to-head in dodge ball, an inflatable obstacle course, flash fundraising, four square, minute to win it games, family feud, knockout, and of course weightlifting.
The student-athletes raised a total of $36,135, enough to directly help 36 families affected by childhood cancer. The men's and women's swimming and diving teams raised the most of the teams, raising $3,994. The women's lacrosse team raised the second-most of $3,688 and rowing followed with $3,055.
For the first time the Flacco Family Strength and Conditioning Center in the Whitney housed the weightlifting competition for Reps for Kids. The student-athletes were given the chance to either bench press or do pull-ups. When every team entered the weight room, the shouting and cheering grew.
As for the reps, the football team had the highest average for the men's teams with 40.36 averaged reps. Softball had the highest reps average for the women's teams with 29.44.
Delaware's Reps for Kids event continues to provide student-athletes with the opportunity to support other teams, make a difference in the community, and most importantly, support the B+ heroes.
