On Tuesday, October 11, the Lady Rocket Volleyball team hosted their annual Pink Out game in honor of breast cancer awareness month. The two recipients of the event this year were Janice Gaubatz and Haidyn Louden. 

This past May, Janice was diagnosed with multiple myeloma and plasma cell leukemia. She has undergone multiple treatments such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and other targeted therapy, and will soon receive an autologous stem cell transplant. Janice, her husband Gary, and her sons Oliver and Calvin are Okawville residents.

Haidyn Louden is a senior at Mascoutah High School. She is an athlete who enjoys playing tennis and softball. Haidyn played on the same summer softball team over the last several years with a couple of our Lady Rocket volleyball players. Haidyn was first diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia when she was 4 years old and underwent successful treatment between 2008 and 2011. This past May, the Loudens were informed the leukemia had returned. Haidyn is currently in several months of a two-to-three-year treatment.

The volleyball players raised a total of $6,225 between the t-shirt sale, raffle tickets, 50/50 ticket drawings, bake sales, bracelets, and memory volleyballs! This fundraiser was a huge success, and it could not have been done without the help of our community! The Wesclin volleyball team ordered ¼ of the shirts printed, which was greatly appreciated by the Okawville volleyball team! The prizes and winners of the raffle tickets (which raised the most money) were announced the night of the Pink Out game. Connie Kuhn won the Okawville Water Tumbler made by Barbie Reuter. Cathy Domzalski won the Ring Toss game made by Kurt Heckert. Glenda Recker won the Bags Set made by Kurt Heckert. Wendy Lampe won the $75 Gift Card Tree. Rhonda Grewe won the $100 Lottery Scratch-Off Ticket Tree. Crystal Cathcart won the Camping Special Meat Bundle. Bobbie Randle won the BBQ special meat bundle. Donna Hackstadt won the Cookout King Meat Bundle. A special shoutout goes to Donna Tebbe, Angie Hackstadt, and Jared Juenger for donating their 50/50 winnings back to the cause, and Jill Martin for giving to the cause! The baked goods were provided by multiple players on the volleyball team, which was also greatly appreciated! The bracelets were a big hit at the stand during Wheatfest Weekend! And the memory volleyballs were a great way to honor those who are battling or have lost their battle with cancer. 

Over the last 4 years of the annual Pink Out fundraiser, the volleyball team was able to raise over $20,000!! “I appreciate the effort the parents, players, managers, and family members put into this worthy cause every year. Our Pink Out event brings cancer awareness to the forefront and shows how it even affects our little town. It’s gratifying to give back to the community and know we have had an impact on someone’s life,” Coach Debbie Frederking stated.