September 3, 2009

Contact:
Susan Levi Wallach, public relations
(803) 699-2800 ext. 79742
swallach@rnh.richland2.org

RNE coaches don dresses and raise $4,000 for kids' cancer
Columbia, SC:  Richland Northeast High School Coaches Richard Bonneville (football), Jay Frye (football), Ryan Kendell (football), Jason Powell (basketball), Jeff Sincavage (athletic training), Rodney Summers (football), Thane Maness (baseball), and Bennett Weigle (football) along with School Resource Officer Rodney Bayne  donned dresses for RNE's Spirit Week pep rally on August 28, thanks to students and faculty who by the end of the evening's football game raised nearly $4,000 for Coaches Curing Kids' Cancer, the first project in the school's new HOPE 365 year-round community-service project.

"The deal was this — we had nine buckets, each with one of the men's names on it, in front of Student Activities during lunch," said RNE Principal Ralph Schmidt. "Each man volunteered to get dressed up and do a Project Runway strut at the rally if he raised at least $100. Students and faculty made their donations according to which man they most wanted to see in a dress." By midweek, the call went out for nine loaner dresses, hats, and handbags. Coach Maness raised the most and got to choose between having his legs shaved or his face made up. He chose shaving, and Coach Bonneville obliged (photo).

"I think it's incredible that a group of coaches got together, put on dresses, and acted like fools in front of the entire student body, all to raise money for a special cause," said Burns Harris, RNE's athletic director. "It was Rodney Summers who came up with the idea. These guys are amazing. They do an excellent job for our students. We've got HOPE 365 here, and we in the athletic dept is going to continue to raise money for good causes, maybe with something similar in the spring."

For information about Coaches Curing Kids' Cancer, please see http://www.curingkidscancer.org/.

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