June 6, 2000
What do you call a group of soccer moms banding together to increase breast cancer awareness? Teamwork 2000, and the moms took to Sprague and Pittser fields May 20 to go head-to-head, or should we say foot-to-foot, in this fund-raising effort. The tournament featured two divisions: four teams of soccer-playing mothers and women - two from the township of Montclair and two from New York City - and four teams of 11-to-16-year-old girls, also two teams from Montclair and two from New York City.
The event raised $5,000 for Teamwork, a new program that will promote fitness and the well being of women going through breast cancer treatment. Teamwork is the brainchild of Wendy Hollender, a breast cancer survivor who plays on The Parlour Moms, a soccer team from New York. "Playing on a women's soccer team helped me through 18 months of treatment," she said. "Teamwork 2000 will demonstrate how participation in a team sport can provide support and inspiration at a time when it is so desperately needed." The Teamwork program will "team" survivors with patients to provide a wide range of volunteer services that encourage exercise during treatment. Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and St. Barnabas Hospital in Livingston plan to incorporate Teamwork in their umbrella of services offered to breast cancer patients. The evening prior to the tournament, a symposium/dessert reception was held at Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center. The event featured speakers who have experienced illness and remain active in athletics.