In an effort to raise awareness about breast cancer, the student-athletes at St. Edmund Prep H.S., Sheepshead Bay, are taking part in a series of events throughout the month of October, which is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
According to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, breast cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death — after lung cancer — among women in New York City. Each year, more than 1,000 women in the city die from breast cancer, which can have no signs or symptoms. Early detection, however, can save lives.
Starting in 2016, St. Edmund Prep teamed up with the Side Out Foundation, a nonprofit breast cancer charity organization, to raise funds for breast cancer research. Each year, a girls’ varsity volleyball player gets named the Dig Pink Ambassador and coordinates the monthlong activities.
This year’s Dig Pink Ambassador is senior libero Anna Morris, a native of Marine Park who attends Good Shepherd parish and played Catholic Youth Organization basketball and softball at St. Columba, both Marine Park. She also teaches a Sunday morn- ing youth volleyball clinic each week at St. Columba.
Morris found out at the end of her junior season that she had been chosen as Dig Pink Ambassador for 2022. Immediately she got to work, with her first task being to conduct extensive research on breast cancer and ways to fundraise to support the cause.
“My teammates and I did lots of research on breast cancer,” she said. “We found on- line that breast cancer is one of the most common cancers for women, and there is the least amount of research that goes into it. We made this announcement to the school, say- ing the money we raised could help out the cause so much.”
Morris set an initial goal to raise $7,000. Throughout the month, junior varsity and varsity volleyball players have been selling 50/50 raffles, raffles for two New York Jets tickets, and raffles for the opportunity to pie someone in the face.
That’s right. The student-athletes are actually raffling off the chance for their fellow students to smash a whipped cream pie right in their face. The one loophole here is that the winning raffle ticket holder also has the choice to pie Assistant Athletic Director Danielle Johnson in the face. With all the money going to the cause, a little mess goes a long way.
“Anna thought of fun, exciting ways to get the student body involved in helping her raise money for the Dig Pink campaign,” said Johnson, St. Edmund Prep Class of 2000. “It’s been a lot of fun having the students telling me they hope they win and can’t wait to pie me! I don’t know how I should read their excitement about this opportunity, but I do know we are raking in the money with this raffle, all for a good cause!”
Other events include three bake sale days, in which the volleyball players sell baked goods during the lunch periods. Students can also purchase this year’s specially designed pink T-shirt for $20 and wear it as part of a dress-down day on Monday, Oct. 17.
That is the date of the annual Dig Pink volleyball match, in which the student-athletes and spectators are decked out in all pink. The following day, St. Edmund Prep’s faculty will square off against the boys’ and girls’ varsity teams in must-see volleyball matches. That’s when the pies will be flying!
Money raised for the Side Out Foundation during this monthlong fundraiser goes to- ward research specifically for patients with metastatic breast cancer, the most advanced form of the disease and the least-funded area of research. Every $2,000 raised through Dig Pink allows Side Out to provide an unprecedented analysis to metastatic breast cancer patients and their oncologists.
Once again, the St. Edmund Prep community has rallied around this worthy cause. Their efforts are showing that breast cancer research and fundraising should be a year- long initiative, in addition to the ramp-up during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Donations are still being accepted. Visit giving.side-out.org/campaigns/18721.
Contact Jim Mancari via email at jmmanc@gmail.com.