For the second consecutive year, the University of Delaware rowing team is working with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to raise awareness and donations to help fight the disease.

The Blue Hen squad will be split into separate boats featuring eight rowers and a coxswain, with each crew responsible for raising money during the two-week period of Sept. 19 through Oct. 2.

The amount each boat raises will be subtracted from its final time at the team’s Head of the Christina: Battle of the Boats exhibition on Sunday, Oct. 2, in Wilmington, so the boats raising the most money will have the largest advantage in the race.

Additionally, the team will be holding awareness events throughout the Newark community during the two weeks prior to the Head of the Christina regatta.

Donations can be made through the team’s Battle of the Boats website.

The event will help raise funds to help the CF Foundation forward its mission to cure cystic fibrosis and provide all people with the disease the opportunity to lead full, productive lives by funding research and drug development, promoting individualized treatment, and ensuring access to high-quality, specialized care.

The foundation has fueled dramatic improvements in cystic fibrosis research and care. Because of the foundation, people with CF are living longer and healthier lives. The outlook for people with CF continues to improve year after year.

The Blue Hens work with the CF Foundation in honor of Kate Sneddon, a four-year coxswain on the UD rowing team from 2012-16 who lives with the disease.