SAAC “Making Strides” For Breast Cancer Research

AURORA, N.Y. – Student-athletes across all 16 Wells College NCAA Division III programs are coming together over the coming weeks to raise funds for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk to be held at the Waterloo Premium Outlets on Sunday, Sept. 30 at 9:00 p.m. Over the past few years, student-athletes participating in the walk have raised over $5,000 toward the cause. This year, scheduling conflicts involving several of the Wells College athletic teams are preventing a large-scale, organized participation in the walk, but the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee still hopes to raise funds toward the cause.

In the past, Wells College athletic teams have made individual attempts to raise money on their own, but this year, SAAC settled on the decision to combine the fundraising efforts for increased effectiveness. The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee consists of four student officers in addition to representatives from each of the school’s varsity athletic programs that meet together and work as liaisons between fellow students and the athletic department. All of the program’s members work together to foster and develop a strong sense of personal responsibility and involvement amongst the students, administration and the community.

Paige Stone ’13, a member of both the women’s soccer and softball programs, is serving as this year’s chairperson. Fundraising activities, she says, not only benefit the cause directly in terms of generating money, but also serve to benefit the campus community as a whole.

“Wells College students tend to focus their attention to on-campus things,” explained Stone. “We are sometimes in our own little bubble here in Aurora. Events such as this allow us to make a collective, campus-wide impact on a greater issue in the world – combining the fundraising efforts can help us make an even larger impact.”

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, other than skin cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer. The chances of a woman having invasive breast cancer some time during her life is about 1 in 8. Thanks to the efforts of fundraising efforts to date, there are an estimated 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.

Since 1993, 8 million cancer charity walkers participating in similar events sponsored by the American Cancer Society have raised more than $460 million to help combat breast cancer. Last year alone, supporters raised more than $60 million nationwide to benefit the American Cancer Society in their goals to save lives and “create a world with less breast cancer and more birthdays,” explains the Making Strides website.

Wells College student-athletes are encouraged to sign up as an individual on the event’s home page by clicking here. From there, those interested in donating toward the cause can either select to have their funds donated through an individual student-athlete or to the team as a whole. It is recommended that students organize their own carpools to participate in the event.

To donate funds toward the cause in support of the Wells College student-athletes, click here.

Any additional questions about the race or the cause itself can be directed to Gerianne Puskas at waterloo.strides@cancer.org or via telephone at (585) 224-4917. Stay up to date with the latest news directly from the Wells College athletic department by "liking" us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/WellsExpress) and subscribing to our Twitter account (http://www.twitter.com/WellsExpress).