Bel Air and Patterson Mill Volleyball Teams “Dig” Breast Cancer Awareness; Public Events Planned for October 17 & 18

From Harford County Public Schools:

This fall, thousands of volleyball teams from around the country will be participating in the Dig Pink National Breast Cancer Awareness Rally. A sea of pink will flood the gym at Bel Air High School when the girls volleyball team plays Patterson Mill High School in their annual “Dig Pink” game on Tuesday, October 18, 2011. The Junior Varsity teams will play at 5:15 p.m. and the Varsity teams will play at 6:45 p.m.

Event attendees will enjoy watching the “pink” Bobcats and Huskies compete and are asked to show their support by wearing pink in the stands. Admission for the event is $4 for adults and $3 for students. There will be many raffle items, such as autographed NFL breast cancer awareness footballs and hats from the Ravens, gift certificates from local businesses, and many other great prizes. There will also be Dig Pink t-shirts and breast cancer awareness bracelets for sale at the event.

“We encourage our community to come to the game, bring friends and family, wear pink, have fun catching some exciting volleyball action, and at the same time help our teams to raise money for this very worthy cause,” said Bel Air High School Head Volleyball Coach Tim Markland. “Our goal last year was to raise $2,000 for the Side-Out Foundation. We actually exceeded our goal and raised more than $4,000! This year we hope to raise even more for the cause.”

There will be a pre-event fundraiser held at Chili’s restaurant in Bel Air on Monday, October 17, 2011. A portion of the sales from that day will be donated to the Dig Pink game to go towards their total fundraising amount. The proceeds from all donations will benefit the Side-Out Foundation, a national 501(c)(3) located in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area.

This organization has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Breast Cancer research nationally through volleyball tournaments, clinics, and rallies. Funds are currently devoted to targeted therapies and molecular profiling which is where there is a hot bed of research activity. Side-Out also devotes a portion of the funds to local and national “Life with Cancer” support organizations.

Donations can also be made for this event online at: www.side-out.org/application/ous/fundraising_page/8176.

For more information about the Dig Pink event at Bel Air High School, please contact the Bel Air Girls Volleyball team’s Head Coach, Tim Markland at timothy.markland@hcps.org or call the school at 410-638-4600.