Fraternity strikes gold with pink

Walking over the bridge toward Meriam Library, the landscape was flooded with pink balloons and cheery students in pink shirts Oct. 15 through Friday.

As National Breast Cancer Awareness Month rolls on, more groups are doing their part. Last week, Delta Sigma Pi, the university's business fraternity, set up a fundraiser to help raise money for the Enloe Cancer Center, said senior Jordan Egbert, vice president of the Intern Class of Delta Sigma Pi.

"As part of the pledge class, we have to set up four fundraisers," Egbert said. "This is our first one and the response has been incredible."

With about 300 tickets sold at $5 each, the fundraiser donated more than $700 to the cancer center, Egbert said.

"We were able to raise over $3,000 worth of prizes and donations from the community," Egbert said. "Everything just snowballed into what you see now."

The T-shirts, which read "Go Pink or Go Home," were donated along with most of the equipment used in the fundraiser, Egbert said. The top prize was a Southwest Airlines ticket to anywhere the airline flies, which Egbert donated.

About 50 percent of the profits go to the cancer center. With the other 50 percent, the Intern Class will be hosting a number of community service projects in Chico, one of which will involve visiting the cancer center, Egbert said.

Some people were upset that Delta Sigma Pi donated only half of the money raised, said Peggy Armocido, team captain for the Relay for Life team.

"As a cancer survivor, I find this offensive," Armocido said. "Cancer is not a joke or an avenue to raise money for your own gain."

A few students working at the fundraiser have close connections to breast cancer, including junior Amber Lowry, vice president of fundraising for the Intern Class.

"My mother had breast cancer, and it runs in my family," Lowry said. "This fundraiser obviously means something to me, and I really want to thank all the students for all their support."

Though breast cancer is rare in college-age women - 1.4 cases per 100,000 women - one in four cases of cancer in women is breast cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.

Visit www.relayforlife.org for more information.

Ben Burg can be reached at bburg@theorion.com

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