ROXANA — The Roxana High School girls' volleyball team raised $10,000 for cancer awareness during their recent annual fundraising game held this year in partnership with Jerseyville High School.
The event, which took place recently at Roxana, included the sale of more than 500 T-shirts and sponsorships from over 50 local businesses. All proceeds from the sales and sponsorships were donated to the Riverbend Relay for Life, an organization dedicated to cancer research and support.
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Andrea Keller, coach of the Roxana girls volleyball team, said the game honors cancer survivors and provides players an opportunity to share stories about people they know who have been affected by the disease. This year’s event was dedicated to Rory Guss, a preschooler at Roxana diagnosed with leukemia in December 2023.
“Rory has undergone treatments and continues to fight to overcome this disease. She is a true hero and an inspiration to all of us. So brave and so positive,” Keller said. Rory’s mother is a speech teacher at Roxana, making the family a valued part of the school community.
During the event, Rory and her family were brought onto the court and honored. She also participated in the pregame runout with the volleyball players. Freshmen through varsity players from both Roxana and Jerseyville ran together to the song “This is Our Fight Song” as a symbol of unity in the fight against cancer.
Keller described the evening as “truly a remarkable night” where the players “go above and beyond to make it special and raise a lot of money” for cancer awareness and research.
