Zeta Tau Alpha’s annual Think Pink Week to promote their philanthropy, breast cancer education and awareness, is kicking off Sept. 29.
Tonight, the members of ZTA will be participating in the Remember Me Walk which honors the victims and families of homicide loss. Students who knew Olivia Greenlee are encouraged to walk alongside her ZTA sisters from 6 to 8 p.m. starting at the Carl Grant Events Center.
Tuesday night, a Zumba event will be hosted in the backyard of the ZTA lodge at 9 p.m. The cost is $3, and participants should wear pink.
There is no set event on Wednesday, but all of campus is encouraged to wear pink to support breast cancer education and awareness.
Thursday, the Crown Classic dodge ball tournament will take place in the small gym from 5 to 8 p.m. Teams of nine or 10 can register for $10.
ZTA will have a booth set up at the Bulldog soccer games on Friday, featuring corn hole and a bake sale.
All proceeds from the week will be given to support breast cancer education and awareness.
Laura Ritcheson, sophomore psychology and family studies major, is the service co-chair of ZTA. Her role is to oversee all of the service work in the community and with the philanthropy.
When Ritcheson was seven years old, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She said she did not fully understand what that meant at the time, but she remembers her mother being in and out of surgeries and sick much of the time.
“But she still always had a smile on her face because she knew the Lord was going to carry her through,” Ritcheson said. “Which was really amazing to see, especially as a small child.”
Her mother’s cancer was caught in the early stages, and she spent several months going through radiation and chemotherapy treatments. She has been in remission for 13 years.
“Coming here and being part of ZTA, how can I not help out with breast cancer awareness?” Ritcheson said.
“I was blessed to be able to keep my mom, but not everyone is so lucky. I want to be able to play a part in hopefully helping someone else, either if they’ve already lost someone, help them through that grieving process or help their family member be able to make it through.”
Beyond Think Pink Week, Ritcheson said there are small practical ways that people can show their support.
From Oct. 1 through Nov. 15, Yoplait yogurts will have pink lids. Each lid will feature a code that customers can redeem to donate 10 cents to Susan G. Komen.
Another way to directly encourage breast cancer patients is to visit women in local hospitals or send letters to those who are going through chemotherapy treatments.
“It’s the small things that really make them happy and will brighten their day,” Ritcheson said.
