For those unaware, Blondes vs Brunettes is more than a Betty and Veronica squabble over Archie. In 2005, a football game was put together in Washington DC which featured women playing flag football with the proceeds of ticket sales going to fund Alzheimer’s research. The game grew as the founder’s sister brought a game to Texas and it snowballed from there and now, 7 years later, is played in 31 cities across the United States. Alzheimer’s is a disease that touches us all as it’s hard to imagine anyone who hasn’t known someone who has been affected with the disease, which, on average, is fatal within 7 years.

In May of 2009 in Buffalo, Tracey Callisto, a member of the Western New York Alzheimer’s Association, met Kristin Crandall at the Blue Moon Gala and a bond was formed as they discussed powder-puff football as a way to help support the fight against Alzheimer’s. After talking with the founders of the Washington DC game, they worked to bring it to Buffalo to help fund the local Alzheimer’s Association. After planning it in July, their efforts came to fruition in October with the first game which, along with other events put on by the BvB, raised $25,000, far past their goal of $10,000. That was only the first time that goals have been surpassed by the BvB organization in Buffalo as, in their fourth year of existence, they’ve surpassed their 2012 goal of $75,000 with the game still yet to play.

Of course to put on a powder puff football game, you need players that are not only dedicated, but attractive enough that they’ll draw a lot of spectators. Taking a look at photos from events over the years, they’ve done that and more with women that are dedicated, smart and beautiful. In Buffalo, with an NFL franchise in town and a professional cheerleading squad supporting them, one would wonder if any alumni from that squad might get involved. As a matter of fact, Buffalo Jills alumni have been a very large part of the BvB effort right from the start as 2002 Buffalo Jills swimsuit calendar covergirl Danielle Hopp was the game’s first Brunette MVP. Danielle had spent several years working with charities raising money for leukemia research but wanted to do more and when she heard about the Blondes vs Brunettes organization, she jumped on board and is helping steer the ship, so to speak, as a member of the committee running the organization. Since then, a total of twelve more women who once put on the uniform of the Buffalo Jills have registered for Blondes vs Brunettes at one time or another over the years, including Amanda Frese, who not only spent three seasons on the sidelines of Ralph Wilson Stadium, but also spent two years as a member of the Buffalo Bandettes dance team and is also on the BvB ruling committee.

In addition to the game itself, several other events are put on every year in order to raise money and the largest of those events is the annual Kickoff Party. In 2011, in the Buffalo organization’s third year of existence, Kristin Crandall came up with the idea of a Bachelorette Auction as a part of the Kickoff Party. Several of the ladies involved would go around soliciting donations in the forms of gift certificates, sports tickets, and memorabilia and they would put their date packages up for bid at the Kickoff Party. The 2012 Bachelorette Auction was a mammoth success as that part of the event alone raised $20,000 with one date package, put together by Maria Merlino, in charge of the auction, raising $4000 by itself. The Kickoff Party as a whole brought in $58,000 with admission, raffles, and merchandise sales and it wasn’t just men attending to bid on the bachelorette packages. These beautiful women had plenty of beautiful friends who came out to support them and one of them even won a date package in the Bachelorette Auction.

The last remaining event for the organization this season is the big game at Sweet Home High School in Amherston September 15^th. Go to http://www.bvbbuffalo.com/ for more information on the event or to donate. For more photos from the Kickoff Party and Bachelorette Party, go to http://buffaloprocheer.blogspot.com/2012/08/photos-from-4th-annual-blondes-vs.html

By Phil Brady