Sunday Night Lights was first organized in 2010 after one of our very own, Jake Franzel, Class of 2012, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. Shortly after Jake’s diagnosis our community, students, friends, family and strangers pulled together to support Jake and his family. One of Jake’s dreams was to be part of the Varsity Flyers football team and play “under the lights” with his peers. When he was told that would never happen, Sunday Night Lights was born with the idea of giving kids like Jake a chance to enjoy that unique experience of high school football under the lights! The show of support was OVERWHELMING!

Jake and his family courageously fought this disease for three years but sadly, Jake lost his battle on January 27, 2012. To honor his memory and courage, his teammates and the Lindbergh community want to keep this wonderful night of service going by continuing to give kids like Jake and their families a fun night as honored guests “under the lights!”

Sunday Night Lights is an opportunity for “Cancer Heroes”, their family and friends to enjoy a memorable evening just for them! These kids are Lindbergh’s Guests of Honor and participate as flag football athletes, or alongside the marching band, cheerleaders, or dance team. The community hosts a pre –game carnival with our high school student body, then our guest stars and their families are treated to a traditional football pre-game meal. Afterward, just like any high school football player, they get a pep talk from our head coach, then enter the stadium to the cheers of fans from around the community and are individually introduced onto the field…the entire event is free to participants and their families and is funded solely by donations and student-body fundraisers!

Concession stand proceeds that night (hosted by Lindbergh’s Student Council) and any donations received are distributed among three local cancer organizations that Jake and his family were a part of: Friends of Kids with Cancer, Rainbows for Kids and Camp Rainbow. We hope this is a night these families will never forget and for some, perhaps a dream come true!

Lindbergh is a National School of Character and this has been more than obvious when our students jump in with a “how can I help?” This is a wonderful opportunity to empower our students and give them a chance to understand that the world is bigger than them — there are battles to be fought and together we can make a difference!

To learn more visit www.Sundaynightlights.net