The Ojai Valley School girls’ volleyball team waged battle on Friday, but this time they took on two opponents.
The first was their Omega League competition, Beacon Hill, which bested OVS in a tough contest held at Thacher School.
But the second opponent was much tougher – and much more important – as the OVS girls helped raise money for and awareness of efforts to battle breast cancer as part of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The entire Upper Campus student body — many of whom wore pink throughout the day — was bussed to Friday’s game to support the October awareness campaign, which seeks to promote screening and reduce the risk of a disease that affects 2.3 million women worldwide.
OVS volleyball coach and math teacher Joli Ruby came up with the idea because she’s had people close to her who have faced the challenge of breast cancer.
“It means the world to me if we can help in any way that we can,” Ms. Ruby said.
Known best for its pink theme color, the month features a number of campaigns and programs designed to support people diagnosed with breast cancer. To that end, the campaign seeks to educate people about breast cancer risk factors, encourage women to go for regular breast cancer screening starting at age 40 or earlier, and to raise money for breast cancer research.
Ms. Ruby’s goal was to get the entire student body involved and excited for fundraisers and helping others. As part of her efforts, she hosted a bake sale, sold breast cancer awareness bracelets, hair ties and scrunchies, and held a raffle in which students and teachers could win baskets filled with snacks and a water bottle.
“It means a lot to me, and that’s why I really want this game to be big,” Ms. Ruby said. “Whatever anybody can give would be really wonderful because this really hits home.”
Throughout Ms. Ruby’s volleyball career – she played four years of Division 1 indoor college volleyball while earning her undergraduate degree and then another year of Division 1 beach volleyball while earning her master’s – she’s always had a breast cancer awareness game with her teams, and she wanted to bring that spirit of support and contribution to OVS.
OVS senior Kay Johnson, who has played volleyball all four years, said it’s important to get students involved and aware of and invested in solving the problem. She thinks Ms. Ruby’s efforts, especially those around the raffle for gift baskets, were particularly enticing.
“The baskets are very pleasing to the students’ eyes and that makes them more excited to contribute,” Kay said.
When she started the campaign at OVS, Ms. Ruby had hoped to raise as much as $500 to donate to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. OVS students and faculty combined to raise more than $800 in the last week to donate to the Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation.
“I cannot express how much I have appreciated all the support and donations made this past week,” Ms. Ruby said in an email to the OVS community. “This was only possible because of every single one of you and I hope you are proud of the contributions you have all made.”