Loyola University student-athletes Parker Van Buren and Sitori Tanin have done great things in athletics. Now they teamed up to do something special off the playing field.

Grad student Sitori is a forward on the women’s basketball squad, a team I have covered for several years. Sitori has averaged 8.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game over her great career. I look for Sitori to have a career year this season, which starts in late October.

A couple months later, Loyola’s men’s volleyball team starts their season and Parker will be a big part of it. Last season, he had a .364 hitting percentage (ninth in the nation), 402 kills and averaged 4.28 per set. I look forward to getting to to some games this season.

That’s a real brief look at what Parker and Sitori do in sports. Sports was not the main focus of my recent interview with them. In 2022, Sitori’s brother Elliott was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. Handling it like a champ, Elliott has remained strong and positive. Elliott also has a lot of support, including Sitori and Parker.

Inspired by student-athletes using NIL to give back, Parker and Sitori wanted to do the same. The end result is fundraising by way of three really cool tshirt designs: one of each solo and one of them together. All look great! They show their personalities, rather than simple, generic designs. I expect to see a lot of these shirts on campus and hopefully off campus, too. I have placed my order already.

Doctors don’t know what causes Crohn’s, nor is there a cure, yet. Parker and Sitori are doing their part to raise awareness and funds for research. Crohn’s will not be cured over night, but actions like these bring a cure one step closer.

You can get your shirts and support the cause by going to Loyola’s NIL store or the Instagram pages for Parker, Sitori or Loyola NIL.

Thank you to Parker and Sitori for their time and consideration and for their efforts for a great cause. They are two fantastic athletes, but even better people. I hope you’ll join me in supporting their cause (plus the shirts really do look cool).