On the Lee University volleyball courts tonight, former “American Idol” contestant and Lee alumnus Phil Stacey will use his voice and celebrity to support breast cancer awareness.

“Breast cancer is a personal cause for most of us — most of us have been affected by it in some way,” Mr. Stacey said in a Thursday interview.

The former Cleveland, Tenn., resident said his aunt now is battling breast cancer.

“I’m also a witness of the fact that when people come together, you can overcome things like this,” he said.

Mr. Stacey was in Chattanooga on Thursday to film a public service announcement for the Chattanooga-based MaryEllen Locher Foundation and to make a number of radio interviews. The foundation provides scholarships to children who have lost a parent to breast cancer and children of breast cancer survivors.

Tonight, Mr. Stacey will perform the national anthem before Lee’s second-annual “Volley for the Cure” volleyball game.

Lee University’s Lady Flames will take on Southern Wesleyan University in a conference game, with both teams and referees sporting pink jerseys and using a pink volleyball. The crowd is encouraged to wear pink T-shirts, on sale at the free event for $5 each.

Fifty percent of the proceeds will benefit the MaryEllen Locher Foundation, said event organizer Zandra Whaley.

Last year, Volley for the Cure raised $10,000, and this year’s promotions already have raised that much through donations, T-shirt sales and a silent auction, Ms. Whaley said.

On Thursday night, Mr. Stacey also gave a free kick-off concert at the university.

According to the National Cancer Institute, in 2008 there are estimated to be 182,460 new cases of breast cancer among women and more than 40,000 deaths among women. Nearly 2,000 men also will be diagnosed with the disease, it is estimated.

Mr. Stacey said breast cancer awareness is one of a number of causes close to his heart, and he hopes his presence at the game will bring more resources to support breast cancer victims, survivors and research.

“Maybe there’s one or two people in Cleveland that’ll come out to see me and they’ll become passionate about this cause and they’ll start giving toward it, (giving) of their time or maybe of their finances,” he said. “As resources pour into the research, I believe that someday we’ll live in a world where women don’t have to be afraid of breast cancer anymore.”