Pink! The color appears every October to raise breast cancer awareness, with sports teams showing support with Pink-Out spirit days. In volleyball, “Dig Pink” can be seen written on t-shirts, along with the players’ all-pink attire, before their annual Dig Pink game as a way to raise awareness and funds for those battling breast cancer–the primary purpose of the Dig Pink event.
This game also aids the Side-Out Foundation, a non-profit organization supporting and catalyzing breast cancer research. The Side-Out Foundation aims to not only fund but also publish valuable research—through the biotechnology company Perthera—relating to its most deadly form, metastatic breast cancer. Their publishings have been recognized by the American Association for Cancer Research.
This year, women’s volleyball has an official Ambassador for the Side-Out Foundation. Senior Lauren Angsupanich, one of three varsity volleyball captains, is the 2024 Ambassador and team lead for Dig Pink. As one out of 19 high school ambassadors throughout the nation, she aims to raise awareness through social media and fundraising, in addition to dressing out and decorating the gym with pink.
“It’s nice to have a way for people to give back to the community, and it feels good to know that I can use a sport that I love so much to help make a difference,” Angsupanich said.
Last Thursday, before their Northgate game, all volleyball players dressed out in pink with “dig pink” written on their faces with face paint.
“[This game] gets the girls involved in more than just volleyball but also in a good cause. For me, I’m just so grateful to be a part of a program where I know those girls care,” volleyball coach Leslie Ray said.
During the game, the team also set up a bake sale outside the gym filled with baked goods and a t-shirt sale. In total, they raised about $3,500, with all profits going to breast cancer research and medicine. “The Side-Out Foundation’s Dig Pink Fundraiser is important not only for raising community awareness but also raising funds specifically for metastatic breast cancer research,” Lauren’s mother Mai Angsupanich said.
“Every single dollar that is paid for [the baked goods] gets directly donated to the organization,” Lauren Angsupanich said.
Looking forward, more Miramonte sports teams will continue to show their support along with Angsupanich, who is looking to expand support to the Foundation throughout college and mentor any girls who may become main Ambassadors in the future. “Lauren’s initiative has really helped bond and inspire the team. Dig Pink will definitely be a program that we hope to continue,” teammate and junior Mifay Liu said. Since breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, according to the American Cancer Society, it is super important to increase research on how to better battle it.
The Ambassador initiative will expand support to the Side-Out Foundation, as well as increase access to breast cancer treatment through the organization’s research efforts.
“If more sports host breast cancer fundraisers, we will be able to spread more awareness about the importance of breast cancer prevention, which will allow this work to reach the broader community,” senior captain Mia Kimball said.
Check out more about Side-Out and support breast cancer research: https://side-out.org/
