Photo by Matthew Serafin // [email protected]

“Brain cancer, more often than not, is a death sentence, and with efforts like Make Way for Grey, hopefully a change will be made,” Amelia Genecco said.

Amelia Genecco’s father, Paul, died of brain cancer when she was 13 years old.

His death was a big reason why Genecco, a sophomore in the College of Health Sciences, decided to form Make Way for Grey, a new club on campus dedicated to brain cancer recognition.

“This organization will hopefully bring awareness and funding to a cause that is not always recognized,” Genecco said. “Brain cancer, more often than not, is a death sentence, and with efforts like Make Way for Grey, hopefully a change will be made.”

Make Way for Grey is an idea that Genecco developed at the beginning of last semester. She was focused on school and her sorority, but said she felt like a piece of her college experience was still missing. Genecco went to her best friend Sydney Warner, a sophomore in the College of Communication, to discuss potential ideas for how they could give back to the Marquette community, specifically through starting an organization. The two girls believed that a club could help other students who have gone through similar situations.

Similarly, many of the club’s executive board members are excited to make an impact on Marquette’s campus.

“The most rewarding part (of the club) will be knowing that if we can at least touch one person who has been affected to feel more connected at Marquette,” Caroline Lynch, a sophomore in the College of Health Sciences and co-vice president of Make Way for Grey, said.

Make Way for Grey earned its name after Genecco saw the phrase on a sticker in her younger sister’s room. Grey is also the color to show support for brain cancer.

May is brain cancer awareness month, which will be Make Way for Grey’s first project to bringing awareness to the disease through hanging posters around campus and posting on its social media pages.

In the months to come, Genecco hopes to properly honor her dad’s legacy through fundraising events, such as a concert or baseball game. Genecco’s dad attended many Eagles concerts during his lifetime and “ate, breathed and slept” New York Mets baseball, Genecco said.

“The most rewarding experience has been to start something and watch it grow,” Warner said, co-vice president of Make Way for Grey. “Even though it’s a brand new organization, our social media is blowing up with supporters. I hope to see this grow into a widely-known organization that many students become a part of. I am really excited for the events we will plan and the hearts we will touch.”