By Alex Becker ’18
Staff Writer
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and every year, people from all over join together to raise money and awareness. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths for women. According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, one in eight women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.
From Merrimack and Zeta Tau Alpha to large corporations like Lokai, support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes from every end of the spectrum. Companies like Forever 21 and Ulta Beauty are showing their support for breast cancer throughout the month.
Lokai sells a pink bracelet with their signature design for $18 and will donate $1 of that purchase to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Ulta Beauty had a cut for a cause event where guests could get a haircut, style, or pink extensions put in their hair for a minimum of a $10 donation. Forever 21 also has a Breast Cancer Awareness collection and will be donating $1 from each purchase to the Keep a Breast Foundation.
At Merrimack, Think Pink Week was held by Merrimack’s chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha (ZTA) from Oct. 11 to 14. The Pink Duck Release was another event held where pink ducks were purchased for $1 and released into Mendel Pond to show support for the fight against breast cancer. There were even more events put on on campus, such as the Pink Pancake Breakfast.
ZTA looks toward their philanthropy, specifically raising breast cancer awareness. They raise funds all year long for the fight, but October is their busiest month. Katelyn Thomas, a junior at Merrimack and a member of ZTA, talked a little bit about their work.
“For one week in October, we all dedicate our time to table in the Sak to raise money for breast cancer education and awareness. We also have events in October where we volunteer, in events like the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk in both Boston and Worcester,” said Thomas. “ZTA is also partnered with the NFL and get paired off regionally. ZTA and schools like URI and Sacred Heart have teamed up with the Patriots and “pink out” a game (which happened this past Sunday).”
Maddie Cornell, another member of ZTA, shared a little more about the sorority’s role at the Patriots game.
“We went to the game to hand out breast cancer ribbons to all attending fans. We wanted everyone to have a ribbon because it was the ‘crucial catch game,’” said Cornell. “It was basically a way to try and get everyone to think a little bit more about breast cancer awareness.”
