The Niagara College community’s support for Abbey Gooder continues to grow beyond campus, with a new Thumbs Down to Cancer T-shirt initiative bringing together the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Women’s Volleyball community in support of cancer care.
The initiative follows the College’s Thumbs Down to Cancer event held on Saturday, January 10, which honoured Abbey Gooder, a fifth-year General Arts and Science student-athlete and member of the NC Knights women’s volleyball team, following her recent fight against thyroid cancer. Abbey has been part of the NC Knights since 2021 and is currently competing in her final season with the program. She previously completed the Protection, Security and Investigation – Customs Border Services program, as well as the Fitness and Health Promotion programat Niagara College.
Get your Thumbs Down to Cancer T-shirt and support cancer care
Inspired by the outpouring of support shown at the January event, members of the OCAA Women’s Volleyball community approached Niagara College and the OCAA to explore ways to continue raising awareness and support. As a result, NC Athletics and the OCAA have partnered to design a Thumbs Down to Cancer warm-up T-shirt, available for purchase through the OneTeam store here.
The T-shirts are available for purchase by anyone in the NC community and beyond, with bulk orders encouraged, and are priced at $20 each (plus taxes and shipping). All proceeds from each T-shirt sold will support the Walker Family Cancer Centre through the Niagara Health Foundation. Orders must be placed by Thursday, January 22, with delivery expected by Monday, February 2.
Participating schools are encouraged to wear the shirts during sports games taking place the weekend of February 6 to 8, helping to raise awareness and support across the league. Schools are also invited to share photos and videos from those games with the OCAA office to help promote the initiative.
Thumbs Down to Cancer Raffle
Another way the College community can support the initiative is through the Thumbs Down to Cancer raffle, with all proceeds supporting the Walker Family Cancer Centre through the Niagara Health Foundation.
The raffle closes on Friday, January 16, with prizes including Toronto Maple Leafs tickets (300 section), Welland Jackfish box seats, a Niagara River Lions fan experience, and more.
To learn more about the raffle and how to participate, read the InsideNC article here.
