By Aaron Ortega

Senior Staff Writer

The Brookhaven College Lady Bears Dig Pink volleyball game, which has taken place every year for the past five years, showcases one of the highest counts of pink- colored items worn at a single gathering on campus. The game will be held 7 p.m. Oct. 7 in the T Building.

Last year, Brookhaven President Dr. Thom Chesney donated one dollar for every pink-adorned fan who attended the match. Any clothing item bearing a pink hue counted as one more dollar donated to the cause. Last year, employees of Brookhaven’s Office of Student Life pinned pink ribbons on fans as they entered the game to increase the total donation.

“Giving feels good, and it’s one of the many causes I believe in, especially because my family has been touched personally by this one,” Chesney said.

Volleyball coach Jason Hopkins said Chesney donated around $250 last year. “We would like to see the gym packed,” Hopkins said. “Our goal is $1,200 to raise for donation.” Since the yearly Dig Pink match began, it has raised nearly $8,000 for breast cancer research.

“The Dig Pink match has the feel of a longstanding college tradition — a homecoming-like atmosphere,” Chesney said. “I actually schedule my home and travel schedule around being able to attend.”

Prior to the match, a bake sale will also be held Oct. 7 near the fountain in the Commons Courtyard of campus. Coach Hopkins and the Lady Bears have also been selling T-shirts, and as of Oct. 2, more than 75 orders were placed.

According to 2013 statistics from the American Cancer Society, 232,340 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women and 39,620 women will die from breast cancer each year. That equates to nearly one in eight women being diagnosed with breast cancer throughout their lives.

The Nursing Club will also be in attendance to provide information pertaining to breast cancer research.

The game will be a significant match for the Lady Bears, Hopkins said, as they will face off with North Lake College, ranked second in the conference. The Lady Bears are ranked first.

This is a very important conference match, and Hopkins said he and the Lady Bears will do what they can to sup- port the cause behind the Dig Pink event. “We have had many players in the past at Brookhaven with close family members that have been plagued with this disease,” Hopkins said. “We will continue to do everything we can to support the cause in any way.”