The Student Recreation Center and the Women’s Resource Center have teamed up to raise awareness and funds for the Druid City Hospital Breast Cancer Fund. They are hosting the first annual Big Pink Volleyball Tournament at the University’s Recreation Center Oct. 10 at noon, and those interested in participating must fill out an application and have it turned in to the Rec by 5 p.m. Friday.

Applications are available at the Rec and online at wrc.ua.edu/bigPinkVolleyball.cfm.

Meetings regarding the event will be held Sunday and Tuesday, and a captain from each team is required to attend at least one of the meetings.

Using a hot pink, four-foot wide volleyball, teams will compete in the tournament to bring in crowds all across campus and to raise money.

“If you decide not to play, donations are always welcomed,” said Katie Egan, a senior majoring in political science and Spanish and a member of the event planning team. “We will also be selling T-shirts at the event, which will contribute to the philanthropy.

“It will be $5 a person to play and you can have up to twelve people on your team, but a minimum of four,” she said. “We encourage co-ed teams, but it is not required.”

Each match will last 15 minutes and will be set up in a tournament-style bracket. There will be prizes for the winners and others will be awarded to the teams in categories like “best dressed” and “team spirit.”

“We are hoping for 20 teams to participate in this event,” said Stephanie Lowe, a graduate student in the Higher Education Administration program. “It would be great to surpass this goal.”

The breast cancer fund the tournament promotes is a local organization started at the Druid City Hospital foundation in Tuscaloosa. It was founded 37 years ago and led to the opening of DCH.

Jake Paul, a junior in the communications college and a building supervisor at the Recreation Center, is the publicity director for the event. He said he’s particularly excited about what the premise of the event can do for the charity.

“I believe this a good chance for students to get together and play for a good cause,” he said. “Playing with a four-foot volleyball is a lot of fun, and that is our goal. We want people to have fun and raise money for something that can help those in need and change lives.”

Anyone can contribute to the event and the charity by participating on a team, buying an event T-shirt or making a donation at the Rec Center.