Episode 4

Giving More Tomorrows Through the Power of Volleyball

When Gary Thompson lost his wife Maureen to metastatic breast cancer almost 10 years ago, his kids (15, 13, and 10 1/2 at the time) lost their mom. He and his family leaned into a variety of philanthropic endeavors to honor her legacy. As a result of his daughters spearheading Dig Pink® games (raising over $75K over 6 years) at their high school in Austin, TX, Gary was brought to the Side-Out Foundation and now serves as the Board Chair. Gary talks with Janice about his mission to give others battling cancer a chance to “have more tomorrows.”

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About the Podcast

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About your host

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Janice Kruger

Janice coached college volleyball for thirty years. She began coaching at the Community College level for one year, then spent nine years at the University of Nebraska at Omaha NCAA Division II level and finished her collegiate coaching career as the head coach of the University of Maryland Terrapins Division I program for 20 years. She led four teams into the NCAA Division II National Championship, won 10 career conference titles, and was recognized 6 times both for Conference and Region Coach of the Year honors. In 2023, Janice was inducted in to the Omaha University (formerly University of Nebraska-Omaha) Athletic Hall of Fame.
Her peers honored her success in coaching by voting her twice as the NCAA Division II American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) National Coach of the Year (1983 and 1986.)