​PEKIN, Ill. (WMBD/WYZZ) — Pekin started wearing pink and hosting a Volley for the Cure match in 2008 when the mother of one of the team’s players was fighting breast cancer.”This was our way of giving back. Unfortunately, she lost the battle to breast cancer. That made our fight even harder,” said Pekin volleyball head coach Ynonne Thompson. “We thought, ‘This is something we can really make a great event.’ Every year, it’s gotten bigger and bigger.”In the 18 years of the event, Pekin has raised over $300,000 dollars to fight cancer, said Thompson. This year’s Volley for a Cure night in Pekin is Oct. 13 when the dragons host Metamora.With silent auctions, raffles and other events, it’s become the largest high school Volley for the Cure fundraiser in the country, according to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. And the volleyball players are a part of that too.”We make baskets for the Volley for the Cure fundraiser,” said sophomore Gibby Gruden. “We do a lot of fundraisers, selling shorts at lunch, raising money online, all the things throughout the season.”Local businesses donate items for the silent auction. But that doesn’t stop the Pekin volleyball players form rolling up their sleeves and getting involoved.”At lunch we sell t-shirts, items, accessories like pom pons, suckers,” said sophomore Tinley Webb. “You can purchase these and we sell them at games and on Volley for a Cure Night.Players also help recognize cancer survivors as part of a pregame ceremony. And they voted to wear pink at practice every Wednesday during the season to remind themselves this isn’t just a one-night battle but a yearlong fight against breast cancer.”As coaches, we are supposed to teach these kids life lessons,” Thompson said. “We’re helping these kids better themselves by showing them they can have great character off the court.” Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CIProud.com.