Nearly a thousand basketball coaches across the U.S. are expected to swap their loafers for sneakers during the ninth annual Coaches vs. Cancer Suits & Sneakers weekend – Jan. 27-29 – an effort to bring awareness of the American Cancer Society’s vision of a world with less cancer and more birthdays.

“We are excited that basketball coaches nationwide are joining in the fight against this deadly disease,” said Terry A. Music, chief mission delivery officer of the American Cancer Society. “Because of their visibility in their communities, they can reach fans and share important information about reducing the risk of cancer by encouraging healthy lifestyle choices.”

Both high school and college basketball coaches will lace up their sneakers to spotlight the fact that cancer remains a major health concern and everyone can take daily steps to reduce their risk of the disease.

For those who do not smoke, eating a healthy diet, adopting a physically active lifestyle, and maintaining a healthy weight are the best ways to improve health and reduce risk. In the U.S. more than 72 million people – about a third of the population – are obese and overweight, conditions that contribute to 14-to-20 percent of all cancer-related deaths.

Coaches vs. Cancer is a collaborative initiative of the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches, empowering coaches, their teams, and local communities to make a difference in the fight against cancer.

“This is so much more important than just a game,” says St. Joseph High School Head Coach Phil Martelli, the 2011-2012 chair of the Coaches vs. Cancer 23-member council. “This is a matter of life and death, and by participating coaches have a chance to make a real impact.”

Since 1993, the initiative has raised more than $70 million dollars to fund groundbreaking research, provide up-to-date cancer literacy, advocate for public health policies, and deliver services to improve the quality of life for patients and their families.

The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, the society fights for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community.

The ACS saves lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; by helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight.

As the nation’s largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing more than $3.5 billion, the society turns what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it, will be celebrating birthdays this year.

To learn more or to get help, call day or night, at 1-800-227-2345, or call Pam Cline, ACS WV Community Manager at 304-619-4966, and visit cancer.org.