Earl L. Vandermuelen High School students combined athletics and altruism when the girls varsity and junior varsity volleyball teams hosted a Dig Pink breast cancer awareness fundraiser on Oct. 5.
The team members sold paper volleyballs to decorate a large poster adorned with pink ribbons and labeled Spiking Out Cancer. Their efforts raised more than $1,500, which will benefit the Side-Out Foundation, an organization that unites high school volleyball players and coaches as they work to help further breast cancer awareness, education and patient services.
A royal thanks to coach Douglas VonBargen and the girls volleyball teams: varsity members, seniors Ashley Catoggio, Taylor Catoggio, Lia Desmond, Brett Dooley and Samantha Miceli; juniors Samantha Ayotte, Kelli Booker, Emily Bossert, Kylie Melzer, Ava Napoli and Chloe Simunek and sophomore Evelyn Walker; and junior varsity players, sophomores Emily Brown, Calli Saieva, Selena Ueno and Peggy Yin; and freshmen Olivia Alvarez, Lucy DeWitt, Emily Hearney, Kasumi Layne-Stasik and Payton Melzer.
The team set up an online fundraising platform, for those who may want to contribute: https://giving.side-out.org/campaigns/14985#/
Photo caption: Earl L. Vandermeulen High School girls volleyball team members helped to spike out cancer.
Photo courtesy of the Port Jefferson School District
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