UTICA, NY October 19th, 2010—Members of Central New York Roller Derby (CNYRD) presented a donation of $1,230 to the YWCA of Mohawk Valley before the Take Back the Night march in Hanna Park on Tuesday evening. In front of Utica Mayor David Roefaro and a crowd that was gathered to participate in Take Back the Night, CNYRD’s Chairwoman, Heather Espe, presented the Executive Director of the YWCA of Mohawk Valley, Natalie Brown, with a check to support the YWCA’s domestic violence programs. Addressing those gathered, Espe explained how a dollar from each ticket sold at home bouts during CNYRD’s 2010 season at the JFK Civic Arena in Rome went toward the $1230 donation. Espe also noted that the YWCA was selected by the league because of the YWCA’s and CNYRD’s shared commitment to the empowerment of women. The annual Take Back the Night march is an event sponsored by the YWCA to bring awareness to and stop sexual assault and abuse.
About Central New York Roller Derby:
Founded in December of 2007, CNYRD is a non-profit organization comprised of three home teams, The Utica Clubbers, The Blue Collar Betties, and The Rome Wreckers and one travel team, The CNY All-Stars. CNYRD is skater owned and operated and is run democratically. CNYRD’s mission is to foster community, sportswomanship, and athleticism; to foster the proliferation of roller derby as a sport; to represent Central New York State in the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) in local, regional, national, and international competition; to foster empowerment of women; to instill a sense of sisterhood, loyalty, hard work, and competitiveness among our skaters, and a sense of family among our organization as a whole.
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For more information visit CYNRD’s website at http://www.cnyrollerderby.com
