STRUM — The pink games are a staple at Eleva-Strum High School.
Pink, instead of the usual Cardinal red, has been worn by the Cardinals football and volleyball teams for years, symbolizing the team’s annual fundraising efforts for causes like breast cancer awareness month in October.
This year, efforts will go to Owen McFarlane and his family as part of the ‘Digging Deep & Catching Hope for Owen’ benefit.
McFarlane, a 14-year-old home school student, is an active member of the Eleva-Strum School community who received a terminal diagnosis of Juvenile Metachromatic Leukodystrophy (MLD), putting a financial burden on him and his family.
“We knew that he was struggling and he was facing some great challenges,” Cardinals volleyball coach Katie Skoug said. “We really just wanted to step up for somebody in our community and help make things a little bit easier by raising funds and raising awareness too.”
“I’m always shocked by how much money we end up raising and bringing in for whatever our cause is, and this is the next chapter of it,” Cardinals football coach Chad Hanson said. “That’s the power of the pink jersey.”
McFarlane’s presence, spirit and positivity has brought a light to the Eleva-Strum community over the years, and has spread to the football sideline this fall.
“It actually all started with his mom sending me an email saying that her son wanted to help manage or be part of the football team,” Hanson said. “That’s when I learned about Owen and what he’s facing. He comes in and watches practice. He’s at every Friday night football game.
“Whether it’s home or away, he’s there cheering on the team from the sideline.”
Hanson, back in his second stint with the Cardinals, said raising money for a cause originally began in 2013, with the Cardinals raising $2,000 then.
So, supporting McFarlane this year is extra special.
“It’s really just morphed when we wear the pink jerseys, we’re playing for something way more important than winning a Friday night football game,” Hanson said. “It’s about raising awareness for some cause and also then raising oftentimes financial support for the cause that we’re focusing on, and this year it happens to be our teammate Owen.”
Along with football, McFarlane has taken to the stage of school musicals and participated in the annual homecoming “TP-ing” of houses.
“Whenever he’s in school, he’s very happy and happy to connect with people,” Skoug said. “He’s also got a sense of humor. He’s in a very serious situation where you might not be as positive or happy, but he just seems to find things humorous and love engaging with people.”
The people of Eleva-Strum showed out for McFarlane last Tuesday, as the pinkened Cardinals volleyball team hosted Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran.
“It was a really exciting night,” Skoug said. “We had both green and pink in the gym. Green is Owen’s favorite color, so it was kind of a cool thing to have them be the team that we played.”
Immanuel Lutheran won the match. But, the biggest win of the night already occurred with a bevy of funds raised for McFarlane via raffles, bake sales and $800 in the school’s Miracle Minute.
“There was this caring and giving time from all of the spectators, whether they were from Eleva-Strum or from Eau Claire Immanuel, and he just seemed really excited to be there,” Skoug said. “It was a four-set game, so it was intense. But, all the time, we were talking about different ways for people to donate.”
All of the proceeds from the volleyball game will go directly to the McFarlane family, in addition to funds raised at the Cardinals’ home football game this Friday against Melrose-Mindoro.
“I’m very excited. I know the players are excited, too,” Hanson said. “For us with football, it always happens that our pink game ends up being the last home game, which means it’s always senior night. Then, you add in what we’re playing for to raise support for Owen, I mean, it’s a big game.”