Coldwater Volleyball raises money for leukemia research with Orange Out
COLDWATER - A few familiar faces returned to the Coach Floyd Eby Gymnasium Wednesday night for an incredibly special cause, as the Coldwater volleyball program hosted its first “Orange Out.”
The Orange Out was a concept designed and planned by Coldwater student Braylinn Austin, a member of the Coldwater J.V. volleyball team. The Orange Out was held in an effort to raise awareness for the battle against leukemia, a form of cancer that attacks the body’s blood-forming tissues, including bone marrow and the lymphatic system.
According to a study by the National Institute of Health, 474,519 new cases of the disease were recorded globally in 2020 and thanks to the efforts of charities like the Leukemia Research Foundation, the survival rate for this terrible disease is near 70%. Money raised on Orange Night, thanks in large part to baskets, raffles, and a bake sale, will all go to the Leukemia Research Foundation.
The idea for the Orange Out was born this past summer when Austin was crowned National American Miss Michigan Jr. Teen, a pageant that promotes poise, self-confidence and valuable communication skills.
“The National American Miss pageant system is all about confidence and how you speak in front of other people, it’s not really about your appearance,” said Austin. “For each pageant, each girl has a platform that they are passionate about, and for me it is the fight against leukemia. My cousin Abby battled leukemia a couple of years ago, but she is a survivor from that, which is amazing. This is a cause I just want more people to know about, I feel like when it comes to the fight against cancer that leukemia is often overlooked, and I want to help change that.”
Austin will be heading to Orlando in November for the National American Miss competition, and she plans to continue her platform on the big stage.
“I will be going to nationals and if I do well there, I hope to bring an Orange Out to all sports at Coldwater,” said Austin. “This is just something fun that we can do to help raise money for the fight against leukemia. I just want to get more people involved, I want to do more blood drives, creating care baskets for local hospitals, and tying out blankets for local children’s hospitals.”
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The idea for the Orange Out was not an overnight project, as Austin was responsible for most of the fundraising and the coordination of the event, including the shirts, volleyballs, volunteers, gift baskets donated by local businesses and so much more.
“This whole idea started back in August, just before school started, and I knew that I wanted to do something like this that involved volleyball because I am very involved in the program and with the team,” said Austin. “In all I would say it took about two months to put everything together. I had to get approval, I had to get stuff ordered for the team, and I had to just get everything ordered for the event.”
The Orange Out as an event saw a pair of scrimmages, with the first pitting the Cardinal freshman team versus the Coldwater junior varsity squad. The second scrimmage of the night saw the current iteration of the Cardinal volleyball team take on some of its past stars as they faced the alumni team.
The familiar names that made the trip back to the Coach Floyd Eby to do their part in the alumni game were Megan Alexander, Miranda (Robison) Lewis, head coach Kelsey (Bowers) Closson, Mary Jones (Fischer), J.V. coach Ellyann (Bahlman) Markos, assistant varsity coach Christina (Becker) McCarrell, J.V. coach Keely (Gruner) Beemer, Miranda (Sechler) Herendeen, Makayla Bendele, Jamie Wellet, Drue Mullin and Violet Waltke.
If you would like to donate to Coldwater’s Orange Out, please contact the Coldwater Athletic Department or you can contact the Coldwater volleyball team via Facebook at CHS Volleyball Team.
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Coldwater volleyball hosts Alumni game for Orange Out
