Whether you Dig Pink or Pink Out, pink and charcoal are the new Red and Black for Newton High Cardinal fall sports teams and fans Oct. 2 and Oct. 3. On that Friday and Saturday, NHS will have its Pink Out night at the football game, and it will be Digging Pink at the NHS Cardinal Invitational volleyball tournament.
It’s all about the fight against cancer. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Two of my all-time favorite athletes — Olympic gold medal ice skater Dorothy Hamill and tennis great Martina Navratilova — have battled breast cancer and won. Cancer doesn’t care who you are. It will attack. We must do our part in helping those battling the disease, and those who are working to find a cure.
The Cardinal volleyball team is having its Dig Pink/Pink Out during its tournament this year. The volleyball team has been selling shirts, which are charcoal gray with Win the Battle in pink and white.
If you want to support the NHS volleyball team’s efforts, contact a member of the Cardinal volleyball team or a coach to order a shirt by Friday. The T-shirts are $12 each. There’s an additional charge for adult sizes XXL ($13) and XXXL ($14). Checks are made out to NHS Volleyball and proceeds go to the Dig Pink Foundation.
A year ago, the Cardinal volleyball team raised $1,300 from its Dig Pink campaign. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women and is the second leading cause of death among women.
The Pink Out football game is Oct. 2 when the Cardinals play Ballard at H.A. Lynn Stadium. The NHS Pacesetters are selling T-shirts and hooded sweatshirts. They are pink or black with Cardinal Pride in pink and white with the pink cancer ribbon.
Short sleeve T-shirts are $10 and long sleeve T-shirts are $15. The sweatshirts, which are only in black, are $25 each. All three come in youth and adult sizes. Orders are due Sept. 18. Order forms are available at the main offices at all Newton schools.
Proceeds from these shirts go to Above & Beyond Cancer, a local charity founded by a Des Moines oncologist. Make checks out to NHS Pacesetters.
Each year it is estimated more than 220,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 will die. Although breast cancer in men is rare, an estimated 2,150 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and approximately 410 will die each year.
Unfortunately, most of us have been touched by cancer in some way. I’ve had several good friends succumb to breast cancer — one was a band director and the other a former athlete and both were mothers. One longtime friend is putting up a strong battle against brain cancer. Patty has already lived beyond what the doctors gave her to live. She won’t beat it, but she’s not giving into it.
So, order a shirt from either the Cardinal volleyball team or the Pacesetters or give a donation to either as we together use Cardinal Pride to Win the Battle.
Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535
or jsheets@newtondailynews.com