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Cancer research fundraiser inspired by U-M prank raises more than $20,000

September 18, 2013
	<p>An aircraft writes &#8220;GO <span class="caps">BLUE</span>&#8221; in the sky Sept. 14, 2013, above the tennis courts in South Neighborhood before <span class="caps">MSU</span> vs. Youngstown State football game. Spartan fans at the <span class="caps">ASMSU</span> tailgate flipped off the written message. Georgina De Moya/The State News</p>

An aircraft writes “GO BLUE” in the sky Sept. 14, 2013, above the tennis courts in South Neighborhood before MSU vs. Youngstown State football game. Spartan fans at the ASMSU tailgate flipped off the written message. Georgina De Moya/The State News

Photo by Georgina De Moya | The State News

MSU alumnus Scott Westerman’s plea to raise $3,000 for ovarian cancer research in response to a University of Michigan fan’s game day prank has been more successful than he ever imagined.

Westerman, the executive director of the MSU Alumni Association, called on Spartan fans to raise the money after “Go Blue” was splashed across East Lansing skies during the last football game against Youngstown State.

Since Westerman’s call to action, $23,533 for the Ann Arbor-based organization Michigan Ovarian Cancer Alliance has been raised by 986 donors hailing from all over the world, with donations coming from as far as Beijing and India.

“When I saw the skywriting, it felt like I could ask the Spartans to match what was spent on a ephemeral five-minute display of Wolverine cheerleading,” Westerman previously told The State News.

Westerman’s wife is a two-time ovarian cancer survivor.

“The powerful piece of this is how Spartans have come together in a positive way,” Westerman said on Wednesday. “It’s gone a lot further than I thought.”

To donate to Westerman’s cause, visit the Michigan Ovarian Cancer Alliance “website”: http://www.mioca.org/donate.

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