Multiple organizations on campus hosted fundraising events for breast cancer awareness this past week. The Sigma Chi Fraternity organized a dunk tank to support breast cancer research and The Omicron Gamma chapter of Sigma Lambda Sorority participated in a walk to raise money for breast cancer awareness.
October is the month of breast cancer awareness, and both organizations donated money to support research into finding a cure. In 2020, 2.3 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer globally, and it’s projected that in the United States, 290,560 people will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022.
Sigma Chi donates to the Huntsman Cancer foundation every year. Ryan French, a senior in the College of Engineering and the president of Sigma Chi Fraternity, said they’ve been donating to this foundation for over 20 years.
The international Sigma Chi fraternity is Huntsman’s largest donor. The Huntsman Foundation focuses on raising funds for breast cancer research and providing relief for the patients, survivors and caregivers of people with breast cancer.
“A lot of the members in our fraternity all have someone affected by breast cancer, so everyone was really happy to have an event specialized for that.” Jack Schemeari, a sophomore in the College of Health Sciences and the philanthropy chair of Sigma Chi said.
During the event, members of the fraternity participated in the dunk tank to raise money for Huntsman. Everytime a member would get dunked, money was donated. Schemeari said that this year they’re donating specifically to breast cancer research.
The fraternity had a good time “rasing money for a good cause,” and they were able to encourage their friends to participate, French said. Schemeari said some teachers participated in the event too.
The Omicron Gamma Sorority participated in a walk for breast cancer through Making Strides Milwaukee Saturday, Oct. 15th.
Making Strides was started by the American Cancer Society to bring communities together to provide research and resources to people battling breast cancer.
Making strides provides one on one patient support services, video chat sessions between patients, caregivers and family members, and a 24/7 helpline. They also donate funds to find a cure for breast cancer.
The Omicron Gamma chapter has participated in a walk during the month of breast cancer awareness for the past couple of years. Paulina Cobos, a Junior in the College of Arts & Sciences says that this walk has become a tradition for the sorority.
“We want to show support for breast cancer awareness, and for the survivors, patients and family members.” Cobos said, Cobos is the vice president of fundraising, and her job is to organize the philanthropy events for the sorority, so she planned how the sorority was going to raise money for the walk.
Before the event, the sorority posted Bingo cards on their social media to raise money for the event. People could donate as much as they wanted, and once the donation was made, the donor got a shoutout.
Christeina Sapata, a junior in the College of Health Sciences said that they had a great turnout in donations.
Sapata said that organizing Philanthropy events helps the sorority learn how to fundraise for a cause.
“I hope to get a big turnout to bring more awareness to breast cancer in general, and march for those that we’ve known who’ve lost their lives or are still battling breast cancer currently,” Sapata said.
Sapata said they hope to continue this fundraiser in the coming years and donate more money for the American Cancer Society.
“This is more than just a walk. It’s a movement.” Cobos said.
This story was written by Sophia Tiedge. She can be reached at [email protected]
