After the community came out in droves to support its hometown team — and the local fight against breast cancer — during the “Pink Out” football game last Friday, another group of mighty Chieftains did their part Tuesday to continue the battle against the deadly disease.

That day, the 10 secretaries and paraprofessionals working at Dowagiac Union High School donned T-shirts sporting the vibrant shade of pink associated with National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which runs through October across the U.S. The women were joined by other staff members across the district, who also wore pink to raise awareness for the cause, said Dee Herman, computer service technician with the district.

“We want to support the fight against breast cancer — and who better to pick up the cause than the school’s support staff,” Herman said.

Tuesday was the first time that the district secretaries organized together for the cause, Herman said.

The effort came just several days after the “Pink Out” game Friday night, an annual event where the school does its part to recognize National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, decorating Christ Taylor Alumni Field pink and black and encouraging attendees to wear pink to the game. For the past two years, the district has donated proceeds made from the gate to the Lee Memorial Foundation’s Tree of Love campaign, which raises money every winter to help women without insurance receive mammograms from the Dowagiac hospital.

Inspired in part by the event, Herman said she and other 75 secretaries and paraprofessionals wanted to do something of their own to help with the cause, she said.

“We wanted to do something here at the school just for the ladies, as breast cancer affects us much more than it does men,” Herman said.

Based off the participation she saw from the staff Tuesday, Herman said she would love to make their version of the “pink out” an annual traditional for the district staff.

“If we can get just one woman to get a mammogram because of this, we have done our job,” she said.