Click here to join Touchdowns For Pediatric Cancer.

BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – The Bloomsburg University football team, during the entire month of October, will be helping to fight pediatric cancer through the ThinkBIG Pediatric Cancer Fund. The program is entitled "Touchdowns For Pediatric Cancer."

Throughout the month, the Bloomsburg football program will be recruiting friends, families, and fans of the Huskies to sign up to donate any amount per touchdown scored. The more fans Bloomsburg recruits - and the more touchdowns the Huskies score in the month of October - the more money raised for ThinkBIG. Fans can choose how much they want to donate per touchdown - some may pick $1 per score; others may pick $20 per touchdown - through the PledgeIT platform. The website will keep a live tally of how much is being raised per touchdown as more fans sign up.

ThinkBIG is an independent 501c3 organization that has the primary mission of financially supporting pediatric cancer patients and their families who are treated at the Geisinger Janet Weis Children's Hospital. ThinkBIG aims to help these families by helping them cover the costs of rent/mortgage, utility bills, car payments, and other out-of-pocket medical expenses that add can add a significant financial strain by spending so much time in the hospital as their child is undergoing chemotherapy/radiation.  ThinkBIG also helps families with funeral expenses for those children who unfortunately lose their battle to pediatric cancer. 
 
Since 2014, ThinkBIG has helped more than 40 families with more than $70,000 worth of expenses, including a handful of families from Columbia County and the surrounding area.
 
"When Tyson Hale approached me about assisting in the ThinkBIG campaign, it was a no-brainer," said Bloomsburg head coach Paul Darragh. "To be able to help the families of children stricken with cancer is a wonderful idea and a great way to ease some of the financial burden that unfortunately comes with treatment."
 
The ThinkBIG fund was inspired by a pediatric cancer patient at Janet Weis Children's Hospital. This amazing boy was Carmine Monacelli, a child who was diagnosed with bone cancer in September 2011. In the conversations with him during his treatment, he always spoke about what he wanted to be when he grew up and how he always wanted to help people. One day he would want to be a marine biologist, the next day a WWF wrestler - he even aspired to become the Pope. Carmine was inspirational and never let his positive spirit waiver in the face of his ongoing chemotherapy and radiation. His cancer eventually claimed his life in March 2012, but in the nine short years he was on this Earth, he knew he wanted to make a powerful impact. He was wise beyond his years and filled with a philanthropic heart. He left a legacy of futuristic dreams and selfless caring … he left a legacy of "Thinking Big."
 
For more information on ThinkBIG, please visit http://www.thinkbigpa.org/. To sign up to be a part of Bloomsburg football's campaign with the ThinkBIG Pediatric Cancer Fund, please visit: https://pledgeit.org/bloomsburg-huskies-touchdowns-for-pediatric-cancer.

Notes
Participants will get an e-mail stating that Bloomsburg scored "X" amount of touchdowns, and based on their pledge, equals "X" amount of dollars.  Participants will not be charged until the last game is over in October and do have the option of changing the donation when the final invoice is received. Also, if a participant joins midway through the campaign (ex: after the Millersville and Kutztown games have already been played), PledgeIT automatically defaults where they would be pledging based on touchdowns already scored. However, the option of removing these games from the pledge and only pledging for the remaining games (West Chester, East Stroudsburg, Lock Haven) is available.