Orange Out

On Monday night, the communities of Minden and Albion expressed their fullest support for cancer research and two young boys who have already fought battles with leukemia.

Orange “Faith, Fight, Cure” shirts were sold in the weeks leading up to the December 17 basketball games between Minden and Boone Central of Albion.

Players from both teams warmed up in the orange shirts, many also wearing orange shoelaces.

Cheerleaders wore them over their uniforms.

But, in the crowd at C.L. Jones Middle School’s gym, fans wearing the orange shirts outnumbered those wearing their hometown schools’ colors.

A total of 946 shirts were sold, raising $5,000 alone to benefit CureSearch, a cancer research organization.

Between the shirt sales, the sloppy joe meals served that evening, donations, and free throw contests, proceeds figure to be at least $10,700.

“The support and response was just amazing,” said Jamie Johnson of Minden, whose son was one of the two boys celebrated on Monday night.

Her son is Alex Johnson, age 7, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia on February 10, 2012. Barely even having begun his education, Alex started chemotherapy treatment almost overnight after feeling unusually ill.

The full story can be read in the December 26 edition of the Minden Courier!