Dec. 13, 2004

Contact: Paul Vander Tuig, Trademark Licensing Office, (785) 864-4650.

KU women’s basketball team to spread holiday cheer at hospital on Dec. 17

LAWRENCE -- The University of Kansas women's basketball team will spread a little Jayhawk holiday cheer Friday, Dec. 17, at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, where team members will visit with patients and give away T-shirts, posters and other KU gear to patients.

New coach Bonnie Henrickson will lead the team in its 12th year of participating in the Crimson and Blue Holiday Project. Each year, the KU Office of Trademark Licensing collects donations of licensed KU merchandise for distribution during the event.

This year, more than 1,000 items with an estimated retail value of $10,000 were collected, according to Paul Vander Tuig, KU's licensingadministrator.

" I see the project as an opportunity for the university to give something back to the community by working with the women's basketball team on this effort," Vander Tuig said. "Each year, the expression you see on patients' faces when they are given an item by a coach or team member makes it all worthwhile."

Team members will hand out posters, T-shirts, playing cards, hats and sweatshirts to hospital patients. The visit is scheduled to start at 11 a.m.
KU's licensing program collects fees from manufacturers authorized to use the Jayhawk logo and other KU trademarks. Royalties from the program, totaling more than $950,000 last year, help fund student and student-athlete scholarships.