The Panhellenic Council organized informational events for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October and raised $600 for related causes.
Volunteers staffed tables on the Quad Oct. 9 to provide information about breast cancer. Lehigh Valley Hospital sponsored a brown bag discussion on breast cancer prevention Oct 16. A panel of breast cancer survivors shared their experiences Oct. 23, featuring international affairs major Stephanie Shelton ’05, Fran Hnat, Janet Miller, Liza Mattison, and Cindy Bender. The events were co-sponsored by Panhellenic Council, Association for Lafayette Women, and Nia, an organization that celebrates ethnicity, gender, and sisterhood
Throughout the month, sales of pink ribbons by Kappa Kappa Gamma raised $250 for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and a 50/50 raffle at Homecoming brought in $350 for the St. Luke’s Hospital Breast Care Fund, which covers treatment for women in the Lehigh Valley who cannot afford it.
“Nia, ALW, and Panhel are the three major women’s organizations on Lafayette’s campus, and undoubtedly each and every woman is affected in someway by breast cancer — either herself, a mother, an aunt,” noted a joint statement by Panhellenic Council President Christine Bender ’04 (Gibsonia, Pa.), who is pursuing a B.S. degree in neuroscience and A.B. in economics and business, and publicity chair Megan Longo ’04(Ivyland, Pa.), a double major in international affairs and Spanish. “Males are affected as well.We realized that Lafayette did not have any programming on this issue, which we felt was a necessity to continue promoting awareness. Although this is the first year that Panhel, Nia, and ALW have committed their efforts to promoting breast cancer awareness, the efforts of the organizations received agreat response from students, faculty, and even parents. The organizations hope to continue their efforts inyears to come.”
Breast Cancer Awareness Month Committee members were Bender; Shelton; Simmone Chaddan ’04 (Springfield, Mass.), a double major in English and government & law; neuroscience major Jessie Abel ’04 (Ellicott City, Md.); economics and business major Denel Kopf ’04 (Wynnewood, Pa.); mathematics major Jenn Boxer ’05 (Ocean, N.J.); chemistry major Katrin Przyuski ’05 (Glenmoore, Pa.); and Yvonne Osmun, secretary for the departments of religious studies and philosophy.
Other Panhel service this semester has included a campus cleanup with the College Hill Neighborhood Association and a Philanthropy Night during fall recruitment, in which students put in a total of about 300 volunteer hours, making items for local nonprofit groups serving children, senior citizens, and others.