Think Pink Week

The week of October 1 is Georgia College & State University’s annual `Think Pink Week.’ The events that are planned raise awareness of breast cancer and raise money for the American Cancer Society. This year some money will even be raised for the students that are walking in the Avon 3-day breast cancer walk.

Kim Benfield, a student who works in the G.I.V.E. center, is helping to plan some of the events.

“This Friday, Sept. 28, staff and faculty will participate in a denim day,” Benfield said. “If you have purchased a pink ribbon, then you get to wear denim.”

For money to be raised for the American Cancer Society, all of the student organizations were asked to participate in `Dollar Day’ for the week long event.

“Sunday is Dollar Day,” Benfield said. “Every member of a student organization is asked to donate a dollar, and all the proceeds will be donated to the American Cancer Society.”

Pink links will be sold to raise money for the three students that are walking in the Avon 3-Day. The students are April Whirley, Erin O’Connell and Denise DeLoach. Pink link sales will be on Monday and Tuesday. They are pink slips of paper on which people can write the name of the person they want to honor or remember. The slips of paper are then intertwined and stapled together in a circular pattern until they form a long string of pink links.

“Monday and Tuesday, from 9 a.m. through 5 p.m, members of organizations will be selling pink links for a dollar,” Benfield said. “The money raised from this event will be donated to the students walking in the Avon 3-Day walk.”

Last year, a similar event took place for Dr. Beth Rushing before she walked in the Avon 3-Day. Lindsay Davis, a member of Gamma Sigma Sigma, was present at the event.

“The send-off for Dr. Rushing was moving. We listened to readings about lives that were touched by breast cancer,” said Davis. “I’m glad that the faculty and students here were able to show their support.”

It means a lot for students to be able to help and to participate in raising money and awareness. Erin Semple, a student, participated in the sale of pink links last year.

“I sold the pink links, and it was nice to know that just by selling those links that breast cancer research benefited.”

Not all activities are fundraisers. One of the events to raise awareness will take place on Monday evening.

“On Monday night, we will have a breast cancer awareness open forum,” Benfield said. “We will also be presenting the money to the students walking in the Avon 3-Day walk.”

Breast cancer is something that should be taken seriously by young adults. Age does not save anyone from this type of cancer.

“Women should get a mammogram even in their early 20′s,” Benfield said. “If you do find a lump in your breast, you should not put it off, because breast cancer can happen to anybody.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 28 2001. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry