History and Purpose |
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The Brian Piccolo Cancer Fund Drive was established by students in 1980 in memory of a great Wake Forest athlete/alum and Chicago Bear football star who died of cancer. The inaugural year of the drive brought in $3,500 and each successive year has seen increases in both community involvement and monies raised (over $863,000 for 26 years). This year's Brian Piccolo Cancer Fund Drive will continue this student led enterprise and rely on the Wake Forest campus and local TRIAD communities for its remarkable success story.
The Brian Piccolo Cancer Fund Drive is recognized as the premiere charitable event of the year at Wake Forest. It is unique in that it is totally student initiated and it mobilizes the entire campus community in a unified effort to raise monies for cancer treatment and research. The monies raised are donated to the Comprehensive Cancer Center of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Each year Piccolo Cancer Drive students tour the Cancer Center and many students volunteer in research labs or with outreach programs.
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Significance |
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Because of the advancements in medical research and treatment, today there is a 80% success rate for curing the type of cancer which Brian Piccolo died of in 1970 at the age of 26. The Piccolo Drive is one of the few University efforts which joins together the undergraduate college community with the medical school community in a common humanitarian enterprise -- the fight against cancer. Join the Deacon battle against cancer!
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Method |
Through a series of fun and creative events Wake Forest student organizations join together to bring awareness of and participation in the Cancer Fund Drive. Highlights of this year's Fund Drive include the Hit the Bricks for Brian, the Wake 'n Shake Dance Marathon, Chi Omega's Silent Auction, Theta Chi's Halloween Pumpkin Carve, Sigma Chi's Derby Days, Lambda Chi Alpha's Pig Out for Piccolo, Chi Psi's Deacon Spirit Car Bash, APO's Pennies for Piccolo, the PIKA & WFU Football Team "Pump Up for Piccolo" strength event and the presentation of the final Piccolo check at an ACC men's basketball game this season.
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Hit the Bricks |
Wake Forest University students, faculty and staff will compete in an eight-hour relay race around Hearn Plaza beginning at 11 am on a thursday in September. Teams of seven to 15 participants compete to raise both money and awareness for the fight against cancer through the WFU Baptist Medical Center's Comprehensive Cancer Center. Participants will walk a final remembrance lap for cancer victims and survivors, and the daylong event will end with a luminary ceremony at 7pm in front of Wait Chapel. Hit the Bricks has raised nearly $60,000 since the first race in 2003. All of the proceeds will be donated to the Brian Piccolo Cancer Research Fund..
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Wake 'N Shake |
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The Wake 'N Shake Dance Marathon at Wake Forest University is an annual 12-hour event benefiting the Brian Piccolo Cancer Drive. Wake Forest students stay awake and on their feet for the entire 12-hours to raise money and awareness for the fight against cancer. Dancers participate in a variety of fun activities such as crazy games and competitions, a group line dance and enjoy entertainment by musicians, dance groups and other student and community organizations. Cancer survivors and families/friends of cancer victims inspire dancers by sharing their testimonies throughout the event. Dancers are faced with both mental and physical challenges in an effort to symbolize the obstacles faced by those diagnosed with cancer. Wake 'n Shake was started by students in the spring of 2006 with 300 dancers raising over $48,000, and it has grown into a fun and worthy Wake Forest tradition.
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