CORFU, N.Y. — It was a sea of pink Thursday night in Corfu, where local high school girls basketball teams raised money for a very important cause.
Hours before the Pembroke varsity girls basketball team played in its ninth annual Shooting for A Cure! game, the halls of the high school were packed with people wearing pink to honor breast cancer survivor Toni Funke and cancer survivors across Western New York.
"2011, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Went through the whole gambit. I did chemo, radiation, had surgery, but came out of it very well, and have been doing well ever since," Funke said.
In 2011, the basketball players asked their former head coach if they could play a game to honor Toni Funke. Her husband, Ron, is now the head coach.
“It was pretty overwhelming that they would want to do such a large-scale event on my behalf, but it was for my husband, as well, who is the coach of the basketball team, so he needed the support as much as I did," Funke said.
Added Ron Funke: "I'll tell you what, you can see the kids, and I think they feel really good about themselves, that the money that they've raised and worked on is helping others that can't do it on their own."
Ron Funke says the most valuable lesson is that this event teaches the students to care about others.
"It just fills your heart up, and you just feel all the love that everyone has for everybody, and how we can celebrate everyone and support everyone," varsity basketball player Serene Calderon said.
So far, the annual Pink Game has raised more than $119,000 for Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. They're hoping to add another $30,000 this year.
School officials announced Friday that more than $32,000 was raised.
"I think it teaches them to give back to the community, love your community, support your community, be there for people in your community, so it's a really good lesson. Life lesson for the kids," Toni Funke said.