JENISON, Mich. — This Friday, Jenison High School will transform its gymnasium from green to pink as the Wildcats honor cancer patients during their girls and boys basketball games, reminding families impacted by cancer they are not alone.
What started 18 years ago as a simple gesture of support for one family has grown into a community-wide tradition and nonprofit organization dedicated to helping cancer fighters in Jenison.
"This idea was born when a basketball player, his mom had a recurrence of breast cancer. And that girl was a senior that year, and the basketball team thought, wouldn't it be great if we did a pink out night and had everybody wear pink out shirts and support the mom?" Katy Hevelhurst said.
Hevelhurst founded Jenison Pink Out and expected modest community participation for that first event. Instead, the response overwhelmed organizers.
"We thought we would sell a couple hundred shirts. And that year, we sold 1,500. People came. They came out of the woodwork to support this woman. It was standing room only. It was 2,000 people in the gym," Hevelhurst said.
That overwhelming community response sparked both a tradition and a broader mission. The community asked organizers to expand Pink Out's reach beyond that initial family.
"Then after that, they wanted us to do it again. And at that time is when we kind of said we should bring on and support more fighters. And then it slowly morphed into, let's support fighters no matter what kind of cancer they have, if they're in our community, we're going to support them," Hevelhurst said.
In 2026, Pink Out has evolved from a school-led event into a nonprofit organization focused on directly supporting men and women fighting cancer in Jenison.
Brandon Graham, superintendent of Jenison Public Schools, says the event embodies the district's core values.
"This event really embodies what Jenison Public Schools desires to see in our kids. And so we talk about the Wildcat Way here in Jenison — trust, honesty, integrity, empathy, respect, and responsibility," Graham said.
Graham emphasizes that Pink Out extends beyond fundraising to teach students compassion and community responsibility.
"Teaching our kids to have empathy for those people that are struggling, but also we have a responsibility to look out for each other as neighbors, as community members," Graham said.
The message organizers hope to convey to families facing cancer is one of solidarity and support.
"We know that we're stronger together. When you're in a fight with cancer, you don't need to do that on your own. We want our community to know that we're here with you," Graham said.
The Pink Out celebration begins with the girls varsity game at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, followed by a ceremony and the boys game at 7:15 p.m.
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