The Annual Knoxville Panthers vs. Cancer event will be held next Friday.

Knoxville High School’s annual event is aimed at raising funds and awareness for cancer, helping community members overcome a cancer diagnosis, and having access to the best care and treatment plans possible. Last year, the community was able to raise $26,000 to help the fight against cancer, with 100% of that money staying local, as it was donated directly to Knoxville Hospital and Clinics to assist patients. The aim for this year’s fundraiser is to assist in providing helpful materials for the new state-of-the-art cancer infusion center, which is currently open and serving patients at Knoxville Hospital and Clinics.

Funds raised from the events auction are donated directly to the Knoxville Hospital and Clinics Foundation. Bidding for the auction will start on January 21st and conclude on January 24th. View the auction items here. The annual Panthers vs. Cancer games will be held on Friday, January 24th, with a ceremony to take place between the girls and boys contests. Those interested can also contact Panthers vs. Cancer using the link above if they would like to donate an auction item. Knoxville Girls Basketball Coach Matt Ritchardtis an organizer for the event and says it has been a priority since he and his wife Megan took this over for the money raised to stay in Knoxville.

“That’s really rewarding. We’ve heard a lot of positive feedback from the community saying how much they appreciate it staying here. We want cancer research to obviously go as well but to make any type of add ons at the hospital because this is just a cherry on top.”

Hear more from Matt and Megan Ritchardt on today’s Let’s Talk Knoxville.