The West Ranch High School girls volleyball team hosted its annual “Claw out Cancer” fundraiser event during the team’s rival game against Saugus High last week. The fundraiser raised about $16,000 this year, half of which will be donated to Circle of Hope.   Every October, the volleyball team hosts its “Claw out Cancer” fundraiser for Circle of Hope. Circle of Hope is a nonprofit organization that raises money and awareness for cancer and diabetes. It supports women who are diagnosed with breast cancer by offering them resources, counseling and financial support.  During the fundraiser, the players sport pink jerseys with the breast cancer awareness ribbon on them. Some of them like to put on pink paint and ribbons, said the volleyball team’s head coach Jamey Ker.   They raise the money through corporate donors, family donations, raffle baskets that ranged from $250 to $3,500, ad space and selling T-shirts to promote the fundraiser, according to booster club president Brooke Kelley.   Ker said this year was the most the team has raised by far. He said he owed it to Kelley and Elvio Piccolino, team treasurer, for their community outreach efforts and to the community members who came to support.   Ker added that it has been wonderful to be able work with Circle of Hope and see their efforts make a difference in real time.   “A couple of years ago we had our ‘Claw out Cancer’ night like we always do where we raise awareness for the Circle of Hope, and it just so happened that two separate families had women in them who had breast cancer happened to be there watching our match,” said Ker.   They had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer and through the fundraiser they found out about the Circle of Hope and were able to connect with the organization to get financial help with their treatments, said Ker.   “Our night did exactly what we hoped it would do, which is raise awareness and it did raise awareness for the right families,” said Ker.  For Ker, having this fundraiser is important because it allows him to teach the players how to become more involved in their community. He wants to help build confident young woman through philanthropic events like this.  “It’s about making better people and getting these girls to realize they have a voice; they have power, and they can make a difference in this world,” said Ker.   He added that it’s common to meet people nowadays who were affected by breast cancer in some way, and their fundraiser helps put into perspective that the girls are doing something tangible to help others out.   The post West Ranch Girls Volleyball hosts annual ‘Claw out Cancer’ fundraiser  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.