Southeast Missouri State University student publication

Dig for Life

Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Karlee Lurser, a sophomore on the 2011 team, sets during a Dig for Life game in 2010. - Photos submitted by Sports Information.

The Southeast Missouri State University women's volleyball team will be hosting the 12th annual Dig for Life games throughout the month of October. Home games will serve to raise breast cancer awareness and in memory of those who have battled breast cancer.

Dig for Life is a campaign that was started by former Southeast volleyball coach and current interim athletics director Cindy Gannon in honor of her mother, who passed away from breast cancer in 2000.

"This is a program near and dear to my heart because not only does it allow our community to join together to save lives and provide education to women about breast health, it also allows me to remember how special my mom was," Gannon said.

The program will raise money through pledge cards, on their website digforlife.com and through other local media outlets. In the past 10 years, the program has raised nearly $100,000 and over $20,000 was raised last year alone. Gannon said this year she hopes it can top last year's record.

"We will be soliciting and accepting donations to the Dig for Life program with all proceeds staying in Cape Girardeau to provide mammograms for women who cannot afford to have one," Gannon said. "We have informational items at all of the home events and sell Dig for Life T-shirts with the proceeds going to Dig for Life."

The volleyball team also hopes that it can help out by promoting the issue and by showing its support during games.

"We got specialized pink jerseys," sophomore outside hitter Andrea Baylin said. "We wear pink bows. We have pink Dig for Life shirts. We try to get as many people there as we can."

Baylin's grandmother is a breast cancer survivor, and she thinks the Dig for Life games are a good way to show she and her teammates care.

"When we play that game I kind of think of [my grandma] and play it for her and anyone else who has been affected by breast cancer," Baylin said. "I hope to not only raise money, but raise awareness that it is a very common thing, and usually at least one person that you know or that you're related to is affected by breast cancer."

Berkley Idel

Baylin, her coaches, teammates and the organizers and sponsors of Dig for Life hope that they can make a difference within the community because so many people are affected by breast cancer.

"Breast cancer is an epidemic that has touched everyone's life in some way," volleyball coach Julie Folliard said. "I know many breast cancer survivors as well as women who lost their lives to this disease. This campaign is so important because many tragedies are being prevented through early detection."

Dig for Life games will be played at Houck Field House on Oct. 14, 15 and 29 against Eastern Kentucky, Morehead State and Tennessee-Martin, respectively.

"It's a big deal for a lot of girls," Baylin said. "It's not only for women either. Men can come out and support it, too, because it's obviously their wives, their daughters, their mother. Anyone can be affected by it so we'd like to have as much support as we can."

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