The 2016 Pink Heals game was a healthy rivalry for a good cause. With the help of fundraisers and donations from such events like the volleyball game. With this money, the Pink Heals Non-Profit Organization is able to help local families that are affected by cancer. This year the Joliet Township volleyball teams sold t-shirts, ribbons, tickets for a 50/50 raffle, and basket raffles in hope to surpass their previous raisings of $10,000. The night kicked off with the freshmen teams, which each put up a strong fight, but it was the gold team that prevailed to win against the tigers. The sophomore players made us proud putting up a strong fight in a close game, but unfortunately they fell short in the end. The annual survivor walk was held before the start of the Varsity game. The Joliet community gathered once again to show their support of the players and honorees. Local survivors were announced and lead around the court by varsity players as the whole gym was filled with people on their feet clapping. Everyone was touched by the beautiful moments of a community coming together to help support and honor these extraordinary men and women. As the “Fans of Steel” and “The Wild West” took their sides, the excitement and tension began to build, soon the Varsity game began. The Steelmen carried themselves well as the game progressed, but struggled defensively against the Tigers. Even though the Steelmen lost the first game 25-15, they continued to persevere through the second game picking up and dusting each other off, unfortunately, their efforts fell short with a final score of 25-16. Senior Leann Yodka was optimistic about the game saying, “we did a lot of good things in that game considering our lack of practice the past week and constant changing of positions and rotations. But it was for a good cause and we’re just glad we could raise so much money for Pink Heals.” Although the Steelmen did not win, the game was not about the volleyball score, but coming together as a community to raise funds and awareness for cancer research. Head Coach Bambule shares her final thoughts with, “The extraordinary measures that everyone from both Joliet Central and Joliet West takes to make this event so joyful, emotional, meaningful, and productive is overwhelming. Pink Heals is such a genuine cause and we are proud to have them sponsor our cross town classic. The girls from both schools work so diligently to sell t-shirts, ribbons, and get sponsors. This year the girls went through the community and got many great sponsors to donate to the cause and to the raffle. This event brings us together.”