CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – The Southeast Missouri football team revealed special new Pink Up jerseys to be worn during the annual Pink Up game on October 29. The jerseys will be available for purchase through an online auction starting today to raise money for Saint Francis Healthcare System's Pink Up campaign.
 
This collaboration, led by head coach Tom Matukewicz, is a way for Southeast football to celebrate survivors and honor those who have lost their battles with cancer.
 
The special jerseys will be worn during the Redhawks' Pink Up game vs. Austin Peay on Oct. 29. Bidding is now open at www.pinkupcape.com. After the auction closes at 5 p.m., CT, on October 8, the winners will personalize their winning jerseys with a name in honor or memory of a survivor or loved one, if desired. After the game on October 29, the game-worn jerseys will be presented to the winning bidders. The winners will also receive two game tickets and an invitation to a pre-game tailgate party – all in honor and support of Pink Up.
 
"We are thrilled to join Saint Francis to help make a difference in this community," said Matukewicz. "We hope this effort raises awareness and money to fight this terrible disease. This will be a life changing experience for our players, who will have the opportunity to meet families that have lost loved ones to cancer."
 
Saint Francis launched Pink Up in 2010 to raise awareness of breast cancer in the community. During the campaign, residents are encouraged to "pink up" their homes, businesses and schools in support of the cause. Pink Up proceeds provide free mammograms and other cancer support services to local residents who otherwise could not afford them.
 
Last year's jersey auction raised $22,000. All 99 jerseys were auctioned off.
 
"You would be hard-pressed to find another region our size that embraces any program the way we have all embraced Pink Up," said Jimmy Wilferth, executive director of the Saint Francis Foundation, at the auction announcement. "Our local businesses and schools relentlessly support this cause, and each year it gets bigger and better – and that means more help for our community."
 
Since its inception, Pink Up and Dig for Life have provided more than 3,200 free mammograms to community women who could not otherwise afford them. Breast cancer affects one in eight women but by catching it early through important screenings such as mammograms, we have a better chance of beating this disease.
 
Please visit www.pinkupcape.com or call 573-331-5133 to learn more or to donate to the cause.
 
Saint Francis Medical Center is a 289-bed facility serving more than 713,000 people throughout Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas. Guided by its mission to provide a ministry of healing and wellness inspired by its Christian philosophy and values, the Medical Center has become a progressive, innovative regional tertiary care referral center. Saint Francis' major service lines, which have received national recognition, include the Neurosciences Institute; Orthopedic Institute; Family BirthPlace, featuring the region's first Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; Heart Hospital; Emergency and Level III Trauma Center; Cancer Institute; and Fitness Plus.