October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which means the St. Edmund Prep, Sheepshead Bay, community is “digging pink.”

Since 2016, the school’s girls’ volleyball program has hosted the “Dig Pink” movement, a monthlong series of events that raises funds for breast cancer research.

According to the American Cancer Society, one in eight women — about 13% — will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Except for skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States.

That’s why research and support for the cause — the exact purpose of the Dig Pink campaign — are critical in decreasing those numbers. As is often said about breast cancer, early detection saves lives.

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Ten years ago, St. Edmund Prep partnered with the Side-Out Foundation, a nonprofit charitable organization, to raise funds for breast cancer research. Funds raised through these activities support the foundation’s mission of working toward a cure.

Each year, an Eagles girls’ varsity volleyball player is named the Dig Pink ambassador and coordinates the event activities. This year’s ambassador was senior team captain and outside hitter Katelyn Geoghan.

“It was important for me because it shows us that we can make a difference and be part of something bigger than ourselves in this community,” said Geoghan, 17. “I wanted to be a part of that difference.”

Each year, a notebook is passed down to the next ambassador, filled with notes from previous ambassadors. This gives the new ambassador a starting point to craft their own Dig Pink journey with the help of previous leaders.

In August, Geoghan began mapping out a plan for the month. She met with Allison McGinnis, the school’s principal, to review the T-shirt design and all the events scheduled for October.

Geoghan set a goal to raise $7,000 for the Side-Out Foundation. Every $2,000 allows Side-Out to conduct research specifically for patients with metastatic breast cancer, the most advanced form of the disease and the least-funded area of study.

Highlights included bake sales, T-shirt sales for a dress-down day, a 50/50 raffle, and a raffle for New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders tickets at Madison Square Garden. Geoghan even set up a table at St. Columba, Marine Park, where her father, James, coaches her younger sister, Kylie, in volleyball.

On Oct. 13, the Eagles’ junior varsity and varsity volleyball teams hosted St. Joseph Hill Academy, Staten Island, in the annual Dig Pink matches. The student-athletes wore their special pink T-shirts, and students, faculty, families, alumni, and supporters showed up in droves to support the cause. Before her game, Geoghan addressed the crowd and thanked them for their dedicated support.

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“My favorite part of this is watching how the ambassador grows into a leader and takes the initiative to do whatever is possible, raise their money, and get their team behind them,” said Danielle Johnson, a 2000 graduate of St. Edmund and the school’s co-athletic director who was recently installed as CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens boys’ vice president — making her the first woman to ever hold an executive position in the boys’ diocesan CHSAA.

Dig Pink has served as an opening salvo to the school year at St. Edmund since its inception. Volleyball is such a team sport, so it’s fitting that it serves as the premise for the school’s breast cancer awareness campaign, since raising funds for the cause has also been a total team effort.

“It’s something the girls have taken and ran with,” said co-athletic director Dan Wiatre. “I don’t see it stopping any time soon. As long as there’s a St. Edmund Prep, we’re going to be involved with Dig Pink and breast cancer awareness. Every year, it’s a pleasure to see how the girls pass the baton.”

Later in the year, there will be a faculty vs. students volleyball match, which then starts the fundraising effort for the following year’s Dig Pink campaign.

Keeping breast cancer in the conversation outside of just October is crucial to motivate women to get their screenings when they reach the appropriate age. The most up-to-date medical guidance recommends that women schedule a mammogram starting at age 40 or earlier, depending on their family history.

It takes a village to raise awareness for a cause — especially one as important as breast cancer research. At St. Edmund Prep, the monthlong “sea of pink” reminded the community that early detection is key to fighting this disease.

“I personally could not have done this without the whole St. Edmund Prep community, my teammates, and my coaches,” Geoghan said. “It really just brought everyone together because we were all united under one cause.”

Dig Pink was once again a huge win — not only on the volleyball court but also in supporting a worthy cause.