Volleyball to Host Annual Colorful and Courageous Night on Friday

WINTER PARK, Fla. (September 20, 2021) - The Rollins volleyball team is once again partnering up with Go4theGoal Foundation for their annual "Colorful and Courageous" night which will be held this Friday, September 24, when the Tars take on Palm Beach Atlantic. Proceeds and donations will be distributed among local hospitals for pediatric cancer patients.

The inspiration for the evening is a young girl named Sophie Piller, who lives in Rome, Georgia. Rollins head coach Mika Robinson met Sophie when she was the head coach at Berry College, and was wowed by Sophie's story. Sophie was diagnosed with hepatoblastoma in December 2013. To pass her time while at the hospital, Sophie loved to color and draw. After surviving her fight, Sophie decided to lead a drive that helped bring more than 1,000 boxes of crayons to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite. "It was awesome to know that I was bringing a rainbow of color to the children currently fighting to get well," said Sophie.

"Sophie's generosity and courage made our team want to do something similar, so we have teamed up with Lace Up 4 Pediatric Cancer to raise money and awareness. We are also collecting crayons and coloring books to distribute to local hospitals," said Rollins head coach Mika Robinson.

For the first time since fall of 2019, fans will be allowed inside the Alfond Sports Center to watch the Tars battle Sailfish. The team encourages anyone who plans on attending to dress colorfully to the game, and to also consider bringing donations of coloring books, crayons, markers, or colored pencils that will be collected at the main entrance. The team will also be throwing custom-made tie-dye shirts into the crowd during pre-game introductions. 

Anyone who cannot attend, but still wants to help, can make a donation at the Rollins Volleyball page on the Go4theGoal website.

Every year in the United States, 15,000 kids are diagnosed with cancer. Go4theGoal works with hospitals across the country to provide financial assistance, grant wishes, develop and fund unique hospital programs, as well as fund innovative research.