A Community Effort Led by School Spirit
Ashley Christianson is the epitome of school spirit. A former cheer coach, she is now a kindergarten teacher and athletic booster for Hancock Public School, a rural K-12 school with less than 450 students located in Hancock, Minn. She also leads the committee that plans Dig Pink, the volleyball team’s annual breast cancer fundraiser.
“I’m a mom of three girls – a senior, an eighth grader and a third grader – and they all play volleyball,” Ashley said. “I’ve always loved school spirit, and I’m always on the lookout for ways for our players to get involved with a cause that matters.”
A Personal Connection to Breast Cancer
Enter Coach Alyssa Ukestad. She joined Hancock as a teacher and volleyball coach in 2023. She was eager to bring a volleyball breast cancer fundraiser to the school.
Throughout her own high school and college volleyball career, Alyssa participated in Dig Pink and other breast cancer fundraising games. It wasn’t until her senior year of college that the impact hit close to home. That year, her mom, Bonnie, was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“My mom is my best friend, so it was extremely hard to hear that news,” Alyssa said. “I didn’t want to take any time I had with her for granted. Seeing her go through three surgeries and radiation was hard. Seeing someone you love go through something that is causing them so much pain is heartbreaking.”
Bringing a Volleyball Breast Cancer Fundraiser to Hancock
During a meeting with team parents, Alyssa brought the idea of bringing Dig Pink to Hancock. Ashley immediately volunteered to lead the planning committee. “If you want something done, you put Ashley in charge,” Alyssa said. “I knew the fundraiser was in good hands.”
The first two Dig Pink events were exclusive to high school players with T-shirt sales as the primary method of fundraising. Ashley said, “We let the players design the shirts, then we’d provide order forms for supporters in the school and community to purchase them.”
Expanding the Impact of Dig Pink
While pleased with the success of Dig Pink, Ashley wanted to give the younger players a chance to get involved. “We do a lot of things for varsity teams, but we’re also a K-12 school,” she said. “We really needed to encompass all of our players.”
Ashley set out to secure sponsors to purchase pink jerseys for the players to wear during the 2025 Dig Pink game. When that plan hit an unexpected hurdle, she pivoted and found another meaningful way for the players to show their support.
A Creative Way to Bring Pink to the Court
Working with a local designer, Ashley transitioned the plan to provide warm-up shirts for the players to wear before the game. “We were able to give every player from seventh grade to 12th grade with a white and pink shirt,” Ashley said. “We included the name of the cancer survivor each girl was playing in honor of on the back of the shirt.”
The 2025 Dig Pink volleyball fundraiser was held on Oct. 7 during the team’s annual homecoming game. “We recognized each player and who they were honoring. If the honoree was at the game, we asked them to stand,” Ashley said. “Some of the girls even gave their warm-up shirts to the survivor after the game. It was such an incredible thing to see.”
A Night of Meaningful Moments and Fundraising Impact
In addition to the pink warm-up shirts, players wore pink socks and shoelaces. The Hancock Pep Band also wore pink in solidarity with the players. “It was really cool to see our students, parents and band all decked out in pink,” Ashley said. “We’re a tiny little gym – we’ve still got our original rafters – but everywhere you looked was pink.”
The committee also created a Tribute Wall as an added fundraising element for the night. “It was a giant volleyball, and you could buy a pink paper volleyball for $5, write a name on it and add it to the wall,” Ashley said. “We also placed free-will donation boxes throughout the gymnasium.”
By the end of the night, the volleyball team surpassed $2,500 in fundraising for the Dig Pink event. This was more than double the amount raised by the previous year’s volleyball breast cancer fundraiser. For Alyssa, the support was just a testament to the giving nature of the Hancock community.
“The awesome thing about Hancock is that no matter what the cause or fundraiser is, the community is going to come together and give as much as they can,” she said. “Seeing all the people in our gym that night wearing pink was so heartwarming.”
How to Get Involved with Go Pink for the Cure
Go Pink for the Cure is Komen’s sports and schools-focused fundraising program that encourages breast cancer awareness and healthy living while fundraising to help end breast cancer. Whether you’re looking to fundraise with a school group, sports team or fitness studio, you can play for a purpose when you Go Pink for the Cure. Learn more at Komen.org/GoPink.
Statements and opinions expressed are those of the individual and do not express the views or opinions of Susan G. Komen. This information is being provided for educational purposes only and is not to be construed as medical advice. Persons with breast cancer should consult their health care provider with specific questions or concerns about their treatment.
