Top "Team Up For St. Jude - Spirited By Varsity" Fundraisers Gather In Memphis For Recognition

Cheerleaders and Dancers from twelve teams recognized for their fundraising efforts on behalf of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital®.

News provided by

Varsity Spirit

May 04, 2015, 09:08 ET

MEMPHIS, Tenn., May 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Members of twelve squads who raised the most donations as part of the "Team Up For St. Jude - Spirited By Varsity" campaign were invited to visit Memphis as a reward for their fundraising efforts benefiting the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital®.

The Memphis visit included dinner at a local restaurant, a special arts and crafts session at the St. Jude Target House, a tour of the world renowned hospital and a recognition lunch where each team was cited for their participation. The teams also performed for the patients and visitors to the hospital.

Varsity Spirit, the leader in instructional cheerleading and dance team camps, first teamed up with St. Jude in 2011 to challenge the 350,000 cheerleading and dance team camp attendees, along with all Varsity Spirit employees, to help raise valuable funds for this invaluable cause. In all, the partnership has raised more than two million dollars for St. Jude.

For the 2015 camp season, Varsity Spirit has re-committed to St. Jude, and will continue the successful letter campaign they began four years ago. All incoming campers are being asked to bring five addresses with them to camp of family and friends to send donation letters on behalf of St. Jude in the hope of raising donations. Every camper that brings five letters to camp will receive a special "Team Up for St. Jude" pin.

"I can't think of a better partnership than St. Jude and Varsity Spirit," said Nicole Lauchaire, Vice President of Corporate Marketing and Communications at Varsity Spirit. "Cheerleaders and dancers serve as role models when they help on projects such as this one. We are so proud of our cheerleaders and dancers and the care they put into this project."

"Take pride in the life-saving work that you have made possible," said Chris Boysen, Vice President of Field Operations for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, who addressed the teams from across the country at the recognition lunch. "Because of your support, we can fulfill Danny Thomas's dream that no child is turned away," said Boysen.

For more information, or a list of the high schools recognized, please contact Sheila Noone, [email protected] or 901-251-5959.

About Varsity Spirit
Memphis-based Varsity Spirit has been a driving force behind cheerleading's dynamic transformation into the high-energy, athletic activity it is today, and the leading global source for all things cheerleading and dance. A division of Varsity Brands, Varsity Spirit is a leader in uniform innovation and educational camps, clinics and competitions, of which more than 350,000 cheerleaders and dancers attend each year. Focused on safety, entertainment and traditional school leadership, Varsity Spirit's 1,200 employees have been helping raise cheerleading's influence and profile since 1974. For more information about Varsity Spirit or Varsity Brands, please visit www.varsity.com or www.varsitybrands.com.

About St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Since opening 50 years ago, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has changed the way the world treats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. No family ever pays St. Jude for the care their child receives and, for every child treated here, thousands more have been saved worldwide through St. Jude discoveries. The hospital has played a pivotal role in pushing U.S. pediatric cancer survival rates from 20 to 80 percent overall, and is the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted to children. It is also a leader in the research and treatment of blood disorders and infectious diseases in children. St. Jude was founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas, who believed that no child should die in the dawn of life. Join that mission by visiting stjude.org or following us on facebook.com/stjude and twitter.com/stjude.

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SOURCE Varsity Spirit