It was a sea of pink. Pink shirts, pink pants, pink socks, pink uniforms… Even the volleyball was pink.

The volleyball game between Saint Henry District High School and Notre Dame Academy is an annual event that I simply do not miss. For me, it began when my sister, Maria, began playing for the SHDHS Crusaders back in 2003. I had never seen so much excitement at a volleyball match. The Crusaders and the Pandas are long time rivals. They are two of the most skilled teams in Northern Kentucky and they fight every year to win their region and have the chance to go to state. Not only are the teams exceptionally passionate about winning whenever they play each other, the fans really get into the match as well! The number of students from both SHDHS and NDA who come out to this match every year never ceases to amaze me! It is truly a sight to behold…

And then, there was this year’s match.

This year, SHDHS decided to take it a step further. This year the teams didn’t just play to win… They were Playing for a Purpose. SHDHS joined forces with the I Have Wings foundation to raise money and prayers for the fight against breast cancer. Between the JV and Varsity matches, the coaches of SHDHS stood up and said a few words… They talked about the groups that had donated money and time to the cause. It was powerful. Very powerful.

I sat there listening in the sea of pink… Not Panda blue. Not Crusader red. Pink. I looked to my left and saw the pink ribbons remembering some of the breast cancer survivors in our community. I looked to the right and saw pink ribbons remembering those who had lost their fight with breast cancer. I looked a few people down from me at my aunt, a breast cancer survivor who I love and admire. Her eyes glistened as they asked all of the women who had battled breast cancer to stand. She stood, moved to tears. I couldn’t help but be moved myself. People all around the gym wiped their eyes as the event continued.

After the SHDHS coaches spoke, Janet Chambers, founder of I Have Wings, stood up. She talked a little about her own story as a survivor of breast cancer, a little about her connections to both schools, a little about the I Have Wings foundation, and a lot about hope.

Then came the most moving part of the night… In addition to Janet’s story, the SHDHS coaches (Maureen Kaiser and Shawn Schwarz) decided to use another woman’s struggle with breast cancer to inspire others. Gwen Schuler, a fantastic mom, a loving wife, a nurse, a volunteer at SHDHS, and an all around wonderful woman, lost her battle during the preparation for last night’s game. She passed away on September 3rd of this year. The SHDHS team honored her family in what was, to me, the best part of the whole evening. Gwen’s husband and two boys were given gifts that included a family pass to the zoo, a tour of Paul Brown stadium, an autographed Carson Palmer jersey, lots of gift cards, and a week at a beachfront house. They stood there in utter disbelief as they were read the list of gifts from the people around them.

I was moved. Incredibly moved. What a fantastic community we have here in Northern Kentucky. How amazing that, if only for one night, two rival teams came together to make a difference in the lives of others. It was truly something to behold. Thank God for people who go out of their way to show that above all things in life, there is faith. There is hope. There is love.

Although faith, hope, and love remain the most important things, there is also volleyball!!! Both matches were fantastic! SHDHS won the JV match, but NDA took the varsity match… Toby and I love taking pictures at volleyball matches and my sister, Abbey, is on the SHDHS JV team this year (as an 8th grader!!!), so we definitely brought the camera! Here are some pictures from last night.

Sorry for such a long post! I feel like I just wrote a novella! Haha!!! If there’s anything worth talking about, it’s people reaching out to others with a message of hope. Quite frankly, it makes me proud to live in Northern Kentucky.

- Annie

I’ll start with some pictures of the JV game! The one in white is my sister, Abbey – I am SO proud of her!!!

They were very excited that they won!!!

I LOVE the look on Abbey’s face here!!! It looks just like Maria’s face when SHDHS won the region a few years ago!

Janet Chambers speaks to the crowd…

Shawn Schwarz, a SHDHS coach:

The Schuler family listening as they are told about the gifts they are receiving…

Mrs. Klingenberg, a teacher at SHDHS, serves the first serve of the varsity game. Her class raised the most money to donate to the fight against breast cancer.

Chelsea Gabbard, a student at SHDHS, sang the National Anthem. She is so amazingly talented!!!

Play ball!

The huddle…

The SHDHS coaches, Maureen Kaiser and Shawn Schwarz…

Pink… All the way down to their shoelaces!

I think my favorites from last night may be the pictures of the teams celebrating! They get excited about every point!!! You can just see how passionate each player is about the game!

One of my favorite images of the night…

NDA right after they won!

I love the mood of this one…

It was awesome to see the fans come out for both teams!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE this capture!

I love the look on Sam’s face here (front and center)! If he looks familiar, that’s because we did his senior pictures!!!

I’m guessing that Crystal was SHDHS’s yearbook photographer! She did a fantastic job getting good perspectives!!! I’m biased though for two reasons. One, I coached her grade school volleyball team! And two, she’s using a CANON!!! = )

Poor Noah had a hard time with the noise… Lucky Grandma was there to keep him calm! Thanks, Mom!