Efforts to give breast cancer the boot are heating up as “Volley for a Cure 2010” swings into high gear by “painting the town pink” with a mobile army of assault flamingoes, a fundraising menu tonight at an area restaurant, an upcoming luncheon featuring motivational speaker Barbara Dooley and a volleyball bash hosted by Lee University and the Lady Flames volleyballers.

Tonight’s game plan takes the fight against this insidious disease to Countryside Cafe where members of the Lady Flames volleyball team will gather to help serve customers their dinner and sell hot pink T-shirts. Cost for the T-shirts is $5 each.

For the evening, Countryside Cafe will donate a portion of its sales to “Volley for a Cure” whose ongoing objective is to provide college scholarships for students of breast cancer survivors as well as for students who have lost a parent to breast cancer.

This Countryside night of celebration kicks off at 5 p.m. and volleys its way well into the evening until 9.

Countryside Cafe is located at 8223 Mahan Gap Road off Harrison Pike in Ooltewah. It is about a 20-minute drive from Cleveland.

Tonight’s four-hour eat-out is only one leg in the fight.

Another ongoing — and highly popular — part of the battle is the “Flamingo Flock” that has already raised more than $1,000, according to Zandra Whaley, a “Volley for a Cure” committee member whose sister — Andrea Hudson — coaches the Lee lady volleyballers.

Want to good-naturedly flock a neighbor, loved one, close friend or just a cross-town pal who can enjoy having a few dozen pink flamingoes in his front yard for a day? Those who answer “yes” should contact the ladies at The Plastic Surgery Clinic at 472-1996 or 596-9159. For a small fee which goes to support the MaryEllen Locher Foundation, flockers can “sponsor” as few as 10 or as many as 60 bright pink flamingoes in a yard.

The innocent flamingoes are placed in a yard overnight where they greet the homeowners with the sunrise. They are removed at no charge the following evening. Those who are flocked are asked not to damage the pink-feathered friends because they have future flocking to face for the foreseeable future.

Whaley reports the flocking is intended as a light-hearted gesture in a serious fundraising fight against this serious disease. The flocking offer is a limited-time-only event so those interested should not delay in making the calls.

Tonight’s Countryside dinner and the community flocking are predecessors to much bigger events to take place on the Lee University campus Nov. 4-5.

The two-day celebration kicks off Thursday, Nov. 4 with the Breast Cancer Survivors Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. in the beautiful new Science & Math Complex on Ocoee Street on the growing Lee University campus. Barbara Dooley, wife of legendary college football coach Vince Dooley and mother of new Tennessee Vols coach Derek Dooley, will deliver the keynote address. Barbara Dooley is a breast cancer survivor. The luncheon’s primary sponsor is Brenda Lawson & Associates.

Ticket cost is $10. Admission is free to breast cancer survivors. Reservations are required.

Tickets may be ordered by calling 715-3356 which is also the number for obtaining additional information about the event, and for making reservations. Tickets may also be purchased at The Plastic Surgery Center, Gobble’s Automotive, the Cleveland Daily Banner, all area high schools, the Human Resources Department at Lee University, any Lee University Lady Flames volleyball player or any “Volley for a Cure” committee member.

Dooley, whose interview with the Cleveland Daily Banner was published in Wednesday’s edition, was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2005.

“I went in for my annual mammogram and it was not a good mammogram,” she said. “So I had to go back for another one, and then an MRI; when I got the result, (it was) breast cancer.”

The diagnosis was a shock because she had no history of breast cancer in her family. After her diagnosis, she underwent a lumpectomy surgery, followed by 16 weeks of chemotherapy treatments and 36 days of radiation.

A day after the luncheon — Saturday, Nov. 5 — the “Volley for a Cure” celebration continues at the Paul Dana Walker Arena during Lee University’s Homecoming Weekend. Events will include:

n At 4 p.m., a silent auction gets under way.

n At 5 p.m., the “High School Volleyball Showcase” kicks off which will feature an array of high school volleyball players in an exhibition match.

n At 6 p.m., a “Pink Party” takes center stage and will feature hair painting, face painting, cotton candy and more.

n At 6:45, a “Pack the Stands with Pink” explosion gets under way in which volleyball fans will assemble for the start of the night’s big finale — a live volleyball match featuring the Lee University Lady Flames in action.

n At 7 p.m., the Main Event arrives as the Lee University Lady Flames play host to the Southern Wesleyan University Warriors. The Lady Flames are ranked second nationally in the NAIA. Admission to the game is free for those wearing the pink ‘Volley for a Cure’ T-shirts.

The phrase “Pretty in Pink” will take a whole new meaning on this final evening of “Volley for a Cure.”

“It’s all about breast cancer awareness,” Whaley said. “We’re working to make people more aware.”

And to raise money in a noble fight against a ruthless disease — and the proceeds stay local.

“This has become such a huge event,” Whaley said of the entire “Volley for a Cure” series of events. Even the survivor luncheon featuring Barbara Dooley is entering its second big year.

Event sponsors include Brenda Lawson & Associates, United Community Bank, MaryEllen Locher Foundation, Lee Volleyball, Lee University, Zeta Chi Lambda, The Plastic Surgery Clinic of Cleveland, Skymedia Billboards, SouthEast Bank & Trust, WCLE Mix 104.1, Brooks Screen Prints, Gobble’s Automotive, Dick’s Graphics and the Cleveland Daily Banner.

“Volley for a Cure 2010” committee members include Stephanie Taylor (survivor), Zandra Whaley, Mitzi Mew, Jim Bryant, Andrea Hudson, Joshua Moss, Nan Turner, Elaine Peigen (survivor), Wendy Higdon (survivor), Amy Beard Markham, Leanne McElrath, Carlanna Gill (survivor) and Jan Moses, executive director of the MaryEllen Locher Foundation.