Cooper’s Dig Pink fundraising efforts rank No. 2 in nation, No. 1 in Texas

THE WOODLANDS, Texas - The John Cooper School volleyball team’s fundraising efforts for breast cancer research made them the No. 2 high school in the country and No. 1 in Texas according to the Side-Out Foundation/Dig Pink®.

The team’s second annual Dig Pink® event held last October raised more than $12,000, doubling their first year’s donation.

“Last year, we surpassed our $5,000 goal and finished second in the state, so we set a very ambitious goal of $7,500, which we surpassed by quite a lot for this great cause,” said Mike Cooper, athletic director for The John Cooper School. “We’re poised to raise the bar once again in October.”

The volleyball team paired with the Side-Out Foundation/Dig Pink® to raise money to help fight breast cancer during October, Breast Cancer Awareness month. The Side-Out Foundation is an organization that coordinates fundraising events for volleyball teams.

Fundraising included t-shirt sales, donations and fun activities at the game and during the week. The team plans to sponsor the event again Oct. 11 during a volleyball game against SPC-rival Kinkaid.

“Our goal is to have the other Cooper sports teams more involved next year for an even bigger turnout, so we set the date when no other sports events conflict,” said Margaret Connett, a sophomore on the varsity volleyball team.

These funds supported Phase 1 of The Side-Out Protocol, a clinical research trial for metastatic breast cancer patients with Stage 4 breast cancer. Phase 2 is approved to start soon, which will increase the number of participants with seven research facilities in the US.