High school girls’ volleyball team serves community through annual Dig Pink event

CAJ sports provide an opportunity for students to learn hard work, resilience, and teamwork. For the high school girls’ volleyball team, the annual “Dig Pink” event also helps volleyball players and their peers learn how to serve others.

Former volleyball coach Tanya Hall (‘91) said the beginnings of Dig Pink came in 2005. The team started to wear pink socks for some of their matches, following the trend of many professional and college sports teams in wearing pink to help breast cancer awareness.

In 2010, a former CAJ girls’ volleyball player brought back more pink gear for the team to wear and helped initiate a relationship with the Dig Pink organization that raises money for breast cancer awareness.

Hall said the official Dig Pink event started in fall 2011. As part of one of the Knights’ high school girls’ volleyball games, the team informed the community about breast cancer and painted nails, sold cupcakes, and asked for donations.

The event continued to take slightly different forms each year, even turning into Dig Teal for a few years as CAJ supported some members of the community as they battled ovarian cancer.

Now, under head high school girls’ volleyball coach Lisa Cummings, the event is Dig Pink again and has expanded to include several new traditions. It also involves the service of many more students and staff at CAJ.

Cummings says the stated goal of Dig Pink is “to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer while bringing the CAJ community together through volleyball to support the cause. It is also to honor and recognize survivors, patients, and their loved ones, giving our athletes a meaningful way to use their God-given talents to serve others and advocate for change.”

The 2025 event included the following components:
-Sales of all-new Dig Pink merchandise, such as T-shirts, earrings, hair ribbons, socks, and boom sticks for cheering during the volleyball game (arranged by CAJ’s Merchandise Coordinator Caitlin Greer and Director of Advancement Emily Fahey)
-Cupcake sales (cupcakes baked by Home Ec teacher Ximena Cisneros and her classes)
-Meticulous preparation of the gym arena with pink decorations
-Face painting and nail painting
-A speech from volleyball seniors about breast cancer
-A “pink out” with students and staff wearing pink throughout the day and at the game
-HS boys’ volleyball players spiking a ball through a paper banner to “beat breast cancer”
-A pep band led by band director Ingrid Cheung
-A 3-0 win over ASIJ by CAJ’s varsity girls’ volleyball team!

Every year, the event proceeds are sent to Run for the Cure, an organization supporting people who are afflicted by breast cancer. This year, 200,000 yen will be donated to Run for the Cure, which beat last year's fundraising total.

Dig Pink made an impact financially, but that wasn’t the only benefit it had. Cummings says volleyball team members had lots of opportunities to practice organization, planning, and teamwork skills as they worked on Dig Pink.

“It's cool to see the girls working together off the court and to witness how their actions reflect Christ's love in practical ways,” Cummings said.

Finally, Dig Pink also brings together the CAJ community in a way that shows visitors what the school is about.

“This season, I got a comment from a staff member at another school saying that our local refs were raving about how close-knit and welcoming our community is and how fun our games are,” Cummings said. It's encouraging that even those outside CAJ can see and feel the love and community spirit we have.”