Beginning Monday and until Feb. 19, members of the B.C. Basketball Officials Association (BCBOA) will wear pink whistles and pink lanyards to raise awareness and funds for the B.C. Cancer Foundation.
“In our first 12 years we've grown our overall donations to $116,000,” said Ladner resident and BCBOA administrator Karn Dhillon. “This has been with your generous support ~ believe me, as referees, we appreciate you cheering for us.”
The 2021 campaign was still a success, raising over $26,000, even though the pandemic wiped out the entire high school basketball season. This year, games are proceeding but the current health restrictions don’t allow spectators into school gyms. Instead, donations for the campaign can be made online by visiting http://donate.bccancerfoundation.com/goto/bcboa
“A year ago, all games were cancelled and we managed to raise money thanks to social media support and word of mouth. We're fortunate to be refereeing games this year, but the ‘in person’ donations will be tough due to capacity limits in the gyms,” Dhillon continued.
Recently, he learned of a family member with stage 2 breast cancer, and two fellow officials who've been through recent cancer treatments.
“This year we urge you to donate, but we also ask the question, ‘Who are you fighting for? ‘I've put their names on my list. They're in my army - ‘Karnie's Army.’ It’s a list of over 50 names that I read when I begin to think that our job is done,” Dhillon added.
