Donors help team “go pink”

When members of the EOU women’s soccer team hit the field this fall they were wearing bright new uniforms of a different color thanks to a $1,000 donation from Shawn and Lisa Mangum enabling them to “go pink” for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. Student-athletes connected with the Mangums during the team’s annual community-wide leaf raking project and Lisa asked about ways to help the program. Head Coach Justin Wagar mentioned the jerseys as an idea. “The players had been talking for awhile about other teams getting pink uniforms, but our budget just didn’t allow for it,” Wagar said. “We’re very grateful to Shawn and Lisa, and the girls are so excited to wear their new jerseys. It’s really something to be proud of and celebrate. What we’d like to do in the future as a team is give something back to nonprofit organizations dedicated to breast cancer awareness and supporting survivors.”The Mangums first became involved with the Mountaineer Athletic Association after moving to La Grande 16 years ago and are lifetime Booster Club members. “A lot of the people we met were involved in the athletic department and we thought it would be a great idea to get involved, too,” Lisa recalled. Lisa is also pursuing her degree in anthropology/sociology with an emphasis in anthropology from EOU. She hopes to graduate in winter term 2016. “As a student, I see how hard the athletes work in the classroom to maintain good grades as well as be active in sports,” Lisa said. “We’re in a unique position to support them and it is our pleasure to do so.”