Coronado High School student athletes are turning October football games and volleyball matches into fundraisers for breast cancer research.
The school's cheer, football and girls volleyball teams mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month each year with pink gear, themed game nights and direct donations to cancer research, according to the Coronado Eagle & Journal's Islander Times. In 2026, the effort carries personal weight for several students and a staff member who survived the disease.
Junior Jamesyn Wright, a volleyball player and ambassador for the Side-Out Foundation, told the Islander Times her team raises about $1,000 or more each year for the Fairfax, Virginia-based nonprofit. The organization funds treatment analysis for patients with metastatic breast cancer. Wright said her aunt is a breast cancer survivor, which motivated her to become an ambassador.
The Side-Out Foundation was founded in 2004 by a Virginia high school volleyball coach whose mother was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer. The nonprofit has raised more than $16 million for metastatic research, according to the Junior Volleyball Association.
According to the Side-Out Foundation, every $2,000 raised through its Dig Pink campaign funds a personalized treatment analysis for a metastatic breast cancer patient and their oncologist. The CHS volleyball team's annual Dig Pink game ties into that national effort. In volleyball, a "side-out" means regaining control of the point.
On the football field, freshman Billy Apodaca told the Islander Times he wears pink at games for his aunt, who had breast cancer, and for everyone else going through the disease. Sophomore cheerleader Eva Rodgers said her squad wears pink bows and pink socks at every October football game to draw attention to the cause.
The campaign resonates beyond the student body. Linda Kirk, a Coronado High staff member and breast cancer survivor, told the Islander Times that the school's support made a difference during her treatment. Kirk described how during chemotherapy she had little energy and could not see many people, but texts and messages from colleagues lifted her spirits.
"Sometimes when people are going through chemotherapy, you just really don't feel like interacting with anyone in any way, and just sending a text, even if it's just an emoji or text saying 'I'm thinking of you,' means a lot …" Kirk said.
Principal Karin Mellina noted in October 2025 that the entire staff once held a Pink Out day and posed for a photo in support of a colleague who was away battling breast cancer.
Coronado High's fall sports schedule continues through October, with pink-themed games across football, volleyball and cheer still ahead.
