TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - After nearly a year of planning and hard work, "A Nite on the Green" is finally here.

Alabama Gymnastics head coach Sarah Patterson along with many others have been working since last year's "Drive 4 the Cause" event to put together a gala event that would benefit the DCH Breast Cancer Fund which was created by Patterson with the DCH Foundation to support her "Power of Pink" initiatives.

All that planning and work comes to life this Thursday, October 26, with "A Nite on the Green", held at the Bryant Conference Center starting at 5 p.m. Tickets for the event ($40 for an individual and $70 for a couple) can be purchased at Tuscaloosa Toyota, First National Bank of Central Alabama, Bank of Tuscaloosa and DCH Foundation, Inc.

"I'm so excited that this week is finally here," Patterson said. "We've been working for almost a year to create an event that will bring people together in a fun and exciting way and will also benefit a truly worthy cause. The Tips-Tops show and dance band is going to provide the entertainment and get everyone out on the dance floor. We're also going to have live and silent auctions and there are so many exciting things to bid on. It's going to be a spectacular night."

At the end of the night, one lucky donor will win a brand new Toyota Camry compliments of Tuscaloosa Toyota. David DeSantis, general manager of Tuscaloosa Toyota, has joined with Patterson and the DCH Foundation to make the "Power of Pink" initiatives such a success.

"David DeSantis and Tuscaloosa Toyota, along with Larry O'Neal and everyone at the DCH Foundation, have worked tirelessly to make "A Nite on the Green" and everything that goes along with it a success," Patterson said. "David has been extremely generous in his support of our cause and I am very grateful for all he has done and continues to do on behalf of the DCH Foundation."

"A Nite on the Green" is just the first of this year's "Power of Pink" events. This Friday (October 27) the third annual "Tuscaloosa Toyota/DCH Foundation Golf Classic" will be held at the NorthRiver Golf Club. There will be prizes and awards and each golfer can qualify for the shootout where the winner will drive away in a new Toyota.

And then in 2007, the Alabama Gymnastics team will host its third annual "Drive 4 the Cause" meet. Last year's event, which featured Alabama beating the Florida Gators, drew a sellout crowd of 15,162 to Coleman Coliseum.

"The support we have received from the community since we created the DCH Breast Cancer Fund has been phenomenal and it continues to grow every day," Patterson said. "I am so proud of how everyone has come together to help battle this disease and increase awareness in the fight against breast cancer."

The DCH Breast Cancer Fund was created in 2004 to support Sarah Patterson's "Power of Pink" initiative. The fund provides the means for early detection and treatment of breast cancer. Patients who meet the eligibility requirements will be provided assistance to pay for early detection; and if detection is made then assistance in the subsequent treatment of the disease at the DCH Regional Medical Center, or Northport Medical Center. Eligibility criteria will be provided upon request.

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