Update Nov. 3, 2024, 1 p.m.: This article has corrected the spelling of Vijaya Vedantam’s name.
The stands were filled to the brim with a swarm of pink on Oct. 25, with U-High students cheering at the top of their lungs at the annual Dig Pink volleyball game to raise awareness for breast cancer and raise money for cancer research. The U-High varsity team ended up losing 0-2 but raised around $2,300, and donations are ongoing.
Before the varsity game began, head coach Lisa Kirchhoff, a breast cancer survivor herself, gave a speech about the significance of Dig Pink and the guest of honor for this year, breast cancer survivor Vijaya Vedantam, senior player Kaavya Peddinti’s grandmother. Ms. Vedantam was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma four years ago. It was detected early because of her regular screenings. Ms. Kirchhoff said her story shows why it’s important for women to get screenings.
The volleyball team received $1,165 in donations on their website and sold all 60 of their shirts, which were each $20. The proceeds go to the Side-Out Foundation.
Ms. Kirchhoff said she expects to learn that the players reached their goal of $2,500 later this week.
Despite losing the game, the team still reached their goal of raising awareness and money for breast cancer.
Captain Maya Pytel agreed with this, adding that it was really exciting to have their opponent, the Latin school, involved too.
“It shows that although we’re playing against each other, there’s a big uniting cause that we’re both fighting toward with finding a solution for breast cancer,” Maya said. “It’s an exciting thing and an important cause for all of us.”
