Co-Chairs Ken and Annie Bird and Steve and Amy Lindsay present a check for $151,000 to Dave Karnes at the 2008 event

The 2008 Kicks for a Cure Event brought in record numbers, both in fans and money raised to support Liz's Legacy.  The event, held April 19-20, 2008, raised $151,500 for research projects at the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center and the Hereditary Cancer Center at Creighton University.

A banquet was held on Friday, April 19, with more than 500 people in attendance.  The games were held the following day.  Former District 66 Sperintendent Ken Bird and his wife, Annie served as honorary co-chairs for this year's event.  Annie became close friends with Liz Karnes during her own battle with breast cancer in 2000.

Westside High School, who played in one of the exhibition games on Saturday, raised $3,300 on their own in the weeks prior to the event.  In addition, Creighton has created a scholarship that will be awarded to one deserving Creighton women's soccer player during the Kicks for a Cure banquet every year.

"Kicks For A Cure is a unique event that not only raises money for research in women's cancers but showcases young women engaging in physical fitness, which is a vital part of cancer prevention," said Dr. Kenneth Cowan, director of the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center.  "The funds raised have been used to establish a Breast Cancer Registry and, in collaboration with the UNMC College of Nursing Mobile Nursing Center, a study was funded to increase accrual rates for women and minorities in clinical trials."

Kicks for a Cure is an annual spring soccer weekend hosted at Creighton University.  The primary purpose of the weekend is to raise awareness for women's cancer education and prevention.  This is also an opportunity to generate a broader interest in women's collegiate athletics and to showcase Omaha as a compassionate, vibrant community where health care, education, commerce and recreation intertwine.

Charitable support of Kicks for a Cure and Liz's Legacy is an investment in the quest to find more effective ways to diagnose, treat and prevent cancer.  Former U.S. Senator David Karnes and daughters Korey, Kalen, Kara and laurel sered as honorary chairs.

All of the proceeds of this event benefit Liz's Legacy, the fund started by the Karnes family in memory of their wife and mother, the late Dr. Liz karnes.  The funds are being directed toward research projects at both the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center and the Hereditary Cancer Center at Creighton University.

Co-Directors of the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center's Center for Breast Cancer Research Hamid Band, M.D., Ph.D. & Vimla Band, Ph.D.are joined by Honorary Chair Dave Karnes

Henry Lynch, M.D., Director of the Hereditary Cancer Center at Creighton University