Although raising money for a cause is often the understood reason behind fundraising events, it is only one piece. The even greater outcome, beyond the financial donations and contributions, is the honorable example these events set, providing inspiration for others to host similar events and create even greater community awareness for the cause.

This October, this effect was seen at St. Edward’s University in the form of pink jerseys on the soccer field and on the volleyball court. As part of the National Breast Cancer Awareness month, the university’s fall athletic teams all hosted breast cancer awareness events, raising about $2,100 in total for the cause.

Lizzy Lepore, a senior volleyball player, highlighted the significance of these events.

“I feel it is so important to support this cause because not only are we raising money to help researchers get closer to finding a cure, but we are influencing others to devote themselves to the cause as well,” Lepore said.

The women’s soccer team was the first athletic team to host an event, beginning their regular season with the Kim Yeatts Memorial Classic in the fall of 2007.

The classic was created and envisioned by the Yeatts family and endorsed by Head Coach Nick Cowell and the team in honor of Kelsey’s Yeatts’ mother, Kim Yeatts, who passed away from breast cancer in 2007. Kelsey Yeatts, a former defensive player, graduated in May 2009.

In commemoration, the team wore pink uniforms created specifically for the game. Pink T-shirts were also available for sale at the game and donations were collected to benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Cowell said the classic was set up to raise awareness for breast cancer among women.

“It is great that we can do something to help such a noble cause,” Cowell said. “It is also an important educational tool that will help them be aware this cause at such a young age.”

In the classic’s second year in 2008, the team was able to raise $1,067 by the end of the match.

This year, however, Cowell decided to shift the focus of the classic to raising awareness among the athletes of the other teams at St. Edward’s by handing out information.

“We have moved more towards an educational goal rather than a fundraising goal,” Cowell said.

And this goal seems to have been accomplished.

The women’s volleyball team hosted its second breast cancer awareness event this October, and the men’s soccer team also created a classic inspired by the Kim Yeatts Memorial Classic.

On Oct. 2, the women’s volleyball team sponsored a Dig Pink! benefit and raised $1,500 to donate to the Side-Out Foundation to support its fight against breast cancer. The money collected far exceeded their original goal of $1,000, Lepore said.

The team accepted donations at the game, but also has a Web page as part of the Side-Out Foundation Web site which also allows donors to give money online, Lepore said.

Dig Pink! is a national rally and campaign in which both high school and college volleyball matches are held to educate people about the disease and raise funds towards a cure.

Lepore said she felt a difference in how the team played on the court against Texas A&M-Kingsville that night.

“Our team seemed to have a selflessness about us upon realizing that this game was more than just about us and our goal of reaching the national tournament,” Lepore said. “It was bigger than that and I think the motivation that we were playing for a cause and making a positive difference made us play more like a team than ever before.”

Last year, every volleyball team in the Heartland Conference hosted Dig for the Cure events, said Sean Donahue, head coach.

The women’s volleyball team raised a total of over $4,500 in the past two years, and the Heartland Conference as a whole raised more than $27,000.

“I think it is a cause we can all relate to,” Donahue said. “You ask just about anyone and they know someone who has been affected by breast cancer.”

The men’s soccer team was also successful in their own endeavor, collecting over $600 for the cause.

The team hosted the first annual Pam Nannen Memorial classic on Oct. 30. The classic was dedicated in honor of Pam Nannen, the mother of senior Forward Josh Nannen, who passed away from the disease this summer.

Nannen said the idea was inspired by the women’s soccer team’s event. He said Head Coach Brian Young thought it would be a great idea to make an annual event just like the Kim Yeatts Memorial Classic.

During the game, donations were collected to be made toward the Cancer of Life Foundation, said Nannen, which was his mother’s favorite organization. T-shirts were also sold, and the players donned pink uniforms during the match.

Nannen said it felt amazing to have so many people at the game who truly cared.

“The game was very emotional for me,” Nannen said. “I stepped on the field with a slightly different purpose than usual. Of course you always want to win and do your best, but this game was all about honoring one of the most important people in my life. It truly was an honor to be playing for her.”

Young said he is already generating ideas and making plans for next year’s classic in order to make it a bigger and better event.

Nannen said after the game, other players approached him and say they were glad they could win the game for his mom.

“I feel like everyone was touched in some way by the event, and everyone was glad to be apart of it,” Nannen said.

Andre Cook, head coach for the men’s basketball team, said he plans on supporting breast cancer efforts in late February. Although nothing has been definitely decided, he knows that February is when all the basketball coaches are involved in Coaches versus Cancer program.

Coaches versus Cancer is a national campaign that unites the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches, in a an effort to make a difference in the fight against cancer, according to the Coaches versus Cancer Web site.

The women’s basketball team, also, has no definite plans, but Head Coach Jennifer White says the team may host a pink night at one of their basketball games, either at home or on the road.

And White said in the past, her players have ran in the Race for the Cure in support of the cause.

Donahue said he is proud not just of the athletic teams for their worthy aspirations, but also of the entire St. Edward’s community for their support because of the considerable time and effort people have put into the fight.

“We sometimes get caught up in the daily grind of our lives and don’t think about things like breast cancer until it affects us in some way,” he said.  “So, it is good to have a reminder of helping others even when you are not personally affected.”