Sorority organizes walk to raise money for cancer research

The Rho Mu Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority held its annual Breast Cancer Walk for the Cure around the Westhampton Lake from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, to raise money for the Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation.

The University of Richmond's Rho Mu chapter started the walk seven years ago, when one of its members was diagnosed with breast cancer, said junior Nikkia Ellis, the breast cancer committee chairwoman.

Seventy people participated in the walk, and donations totaled $700, Ellis wrote in an email after the event. It was mostly students who participated in the walk, but the chapter tabled in the Weinstein Center this year and that got a lot of donations from the community, she said.

Participants gathered in the Westhampton Lake gazebo and walked two laps around the Westhampton Lake. After registering for $5, walkers were entered in a raffle and could choose from a display of breast cancer pins, shirts and other apparel. Following the walk, participants listened to a speech by Lynn Holly, a University of Richmond alumna, breast cancer survivor and member of the Virginia Breast Cancer Committee.

The Walk for the Cure is only one of the Rho Mu chapter's fundraising initiatives for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. "An initiative we've been doing for the past few weeks is also selling the pink breast cancer awareness cards," said Jade-Evette Strachan, vice president and events chairwoman of the Rho Mu chapter. "For $1 someone can sign their name, and we're going to have a big display in Dhall."

Strachan said sorority members had been tabling for donations in the Heilman Dining Center, Tyler Haynes Commons and the Weinstien Center during the past three weeks. "I think we definitely got a good turnout in terms of donations and a great number of people at the walk," she said.

When asked how the chapter had tried to increase participation this year, both Ellis and Strachan said they had emailed other sororities, fraternities and other campus organizations telling them to bring their groups to the event. Thirty members of the Kappa Sigma fraternity responded and participated in the walk, Ellis said.

"It's definitely growing, I think each year we get one or two more groups to participate, which is good," Strachan said.

The chapter plans to show the Lifetime Original Movie, "Five" in the commons on Thursday, Oct. 20, which will be followed by a "pillow talk" discussion. "Five" is a series of vignettes about breast cancer and was directed by Alicia Keys, who is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Strachan said.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Rho Mu is still accepting donations for the Viriniga Association until the end of the month, Strachan said. "We're going to wait to make one large donation. Definitely as high as possible, we usually aim for around a thousand dollars," she said.

"We're also partnering with FAME (Future American Men of Excellence) for a basketball tournament on Thursday, Oct. 27," Ellis said. The Rho Mu chapter has also organized a box downstairs in the commons for Yoplait's "Save Lids, Save Lives" campaign, and students can drop their pink yogurt lids there, she said.

Contact staff writer Taylor Cloonan at taylor.cloonan@richmond.edu