D&R Sports owner Randy Melvin has kept himself quite busy the last several days, as shirts sporting shades of pink and white have overrun the orange and black Chieftain apparel normally lining the store racks.

Steadily pumping out the vibrant T-shirts, sporting the words “Fight On For a Cure,” from his press at the back of the store, the business owner was work hard Thursday to keep up with demand from locals who have been ordering the shirt in droves.

“Tomorrow, by mid afternoon, I expect to be completely sold out of them,” Melvin said.

Melvin is just one of many throughout the community doing their part to help Dowagiac “Pink Out” during the Chieftain’s final home game against Otsego Friday night at Chris Taylor Alumni Field.

The annual event, hosted in conjunction with the football game, returns larger than ever that evening, with several new events designed to raise awareness for cancer survivors, patients and local organizations taking a stand against the disease.

People who wear pink clothing to the game will be charged $1 admission. In addition, the football team will wear pink socks and shoelaces and the field will also feature pink accents.

As with last year, the game serves as a fundraiser for the Lee Memorial Foundation’s Tree of Love campaign. Proceeds from the gate will be donated by the district to the annual fundraiser, which helps pay for mammography scans at Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital for women living in Cass County who are either uninsured or underinsured.

This is the second year that the district has partnered with Borgess for the Pink Out game, which began several years ago as a way to spread awareness during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, said Union Schools Athletic Director Brent Nate. The partnership was born when Jeremy Truitt, a member of the Lee Foundation Board, approached Nate with the idea of using the game as a way to kickoff the foundation’s annual cancer fundraiser, the director said.

“With the combination of the school and the hospital working together, it [the Pink Out] has become more than just a game now,” Nate said. “It is becoming an event itself.”

Last year, the school district donated $483 to the Tree of Love campaign through the Pink Out; on top of that, Fifth Third Bank, where Truitt works, donated an additional $500 to the cause.

“We were pleased as can be,” said Beth Cripe, development coordinator with the Lee Memorial Foundation. “It is nice to see two of the largest employers in the Dowagiac area collaborating to help further the goal of helping uninsured or underinsured women in the community.”

Volunteers with other local cancer support organizations, such as Cass County Cancer Services, the Borgess-Lee Oncology department and Cass County Wings of Hope, are also pitching in with the Pink Out game Friday, setting up informational booths for people to check out during the game.

“One of our main goals this year is to raise awareness of the tremendous local groups that are available for people affected by cancer,” Truitt said. “These are great resources, as so many people close to home are affected by cancer.”

Members of the Dowagiac Athletic Boosters are also organizing a 50/50 raffle during the game, with the proceeds also being donated to the Tree of Love campaign.

In addition to highlight local cancer survivors prior to the game’s start like last year, this year’s event will also feature fireworks, with a display following the end of the game as well after Chieftain touchdown, Truitt said.

“We are looking forward to a great football game and a great event for the community,” Truitt said. “We would like as many to come out to help raise awareness for cancer survivors and patients in Cass County.”