MADISON, Wis. -- Bo Ryan's quest to raise money for cancer research has become an annual event at the Kohl Center. And Wednesday night's outing certainly didn't disappoint.
University of Wisconsin students showed up in record numbers to help raise Ryan's American Cancer Society donation to $53,355. With matching donations from four other parties, the total added up to $276,775.
In three years, Ryan's Shooting down Cancer event has raised a total of $384,184.
"It's exciting to think about what this event has turned into in three years, and I'm truly proud of our student body, the volunteers and everybody who helps make this successful," Ryan said. "With the money the students raised and the matching donations, it shows how special this campus and community are."
The premise of the event every year is that Bo and his wife, Kelly, donate $1 for every student who shows up for the event, $10 for every student who makes a free throw and $1,000 for anyone who buries a half-court shot. A record 2,255 students participated on Wednesday, hitting a total of 46 half-court shots.
In addition to raising money for cancer research, students had an opportunity to win Wisconsin basketball tickets, gift cards, adidas prize packs and even a moped.
"I love how this event brings the campus and our basketball team together for a great cause," Ryan said. "The team loves interacting with their fellow students, and it's fun to be able to bring students onto the Kohl Center floor and get to know them.
"I still strongly believe that the cure to cancer will be discovered right here at UW-Madison and hopefully raising over a quarter million dollars today will help."
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