Ninja Warrior Event Raises Over $175K for Cancer Rehabilitation in Greeley

The Fourth Annual Ninja Warrior fundraising event was held at the Bank of Colorado Arena on Saturday, in Greeley. The event was a fundraiser for the UNC Cancer Rehabilitation Center, presented by the Frank Gale Faith Not Fear nonprofit, and had more than 600 attendees. There were 42 teams, made up of 169 competitors, that participated in the event. The teams were made up of both children and adults, including 91-year-old Jeannie Meis, whose son died of cancer in 2014. 

The Ninja Warrior event is based upon the popular NBC show American Ninja Warrior that typically shows athletic adults completing challenging obstacle courses for big cash prizes. UNC’s Ninja Warrior event raised $150,000 last year for the cancer center and raised $91,000 the year prior. This year, organizers believe they raised more than $175,000, with more donations to come. Organizers said that they are hopeful that the total will exceed $200,000. Kaye Firestone, creator of the Ninja Warrior event and founder of the Frank Gale Faith Not Fear nonprofit, which funds the center, said she doesn’t know the total amount raised yet, but they “slaughtered” last year’s total before the event even began. 

Pfizer, Western Midstream, and RBC Wealth Management are matching donations from the event, but the specific matched amount varies based on the company. Baessler Homes matched donations from their employees and their employees donated $50,000, according to Firestone. 

The number of teams that competed in this year’s event is twice that of last year, according to Firestone. According to the Greeley Tribune, the event featured “a zany obstacle course with footballs, basketballs, nets, balance beams and other objects to test every warrior.” Winning teams were selected not only based on their performance in the obstacle course, but also based on the amount of funds they raised.

Firestone started the event and the nonprofit to raise awareness about the UNC Cancer Rehabilitation Institute, which she calls a phenomenal asset. “They are the leaders nationwide and no one knows about them,” Firestone said. “So that has been the goal of Frank Gale Faith Not Fear, to make our community aware that they’re here because so many of us have been touched by cancer.”

The institute has helped more than 1,000 adult cancer survivors since its founding in 1996 by Dr. Carole Schneider. It is also involved in research initiatives that have “produced over 100 peer reviewed publications.”