Feb. 7, 2008

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri State volleyball recently announced raising $10,000 to Saint Francis Medical Center as part of the annual Dig for Life campaign which helps the fight against breast cancer. The Redhawks and head coach Renata Nowacki presented a check to Saint Francis Healthcare System President and CEO Steven C. Bjelich prior to the Southeast men's basketball game against UT Martin on Feb. 2 at the Show Me Center.

The annual campaign runs during the month of October that coincides with National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Members of the Southeast volleyball team secure pledges per dig that are tallied through October home matches at Houck Fieldhouse. The money raised is then allocated to Saint Francis for the campaign's purpose of educating women in the Southeast Missouri area about breast cancer awareness, providing early detection opportunities and improving prevention efforts. The Redhawks produced 452 digs at home during the stretch last season.

"I am pleased to see Southeast's volleyball athletes helping to fight breast cancer through Dig for Life," Nowacki stated in press release by Saint Francis. "These young ladies are inspirations to the many women in Southeast Missouri who are battling breast cancer."

The Dig for Life campaign was started in 2000 by former volleyball head coach and current Associate Athletic Director Cindy Gannon and sponsored by the Saint Francis Medical Center to help educate women about breast cancer. The campaign also raises money to provide mammograms, transportation to medical treatments, babysitting services and more for women in the Southeast Missouri area. In 2007, Dig for Life was able to provide mammograms to nearly 200 area women who could not receive this screening due to lack of adequate health insurance, high deductibles, unemployment or inability to pay.

"It is overwhelming to see the positive impact of this program on our community," Gannon said in the release. "I founded Dig for Life when my mother lost her battle with breast cancer in the hope I could do something to prevent other women from having to cope with this awful disease. It is truly wonderful to see this program continue to grow year after year."

Since 2000, the Dig for Life has raised over $60,000 to support early breast cancer education and treatment efforts for women in the area.