October is breast cancer awareness month and one sorority is coming out to support the cause. The Sisters of Zeta Tau Alpha will hold a Think Pink fundraiser from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today outside Brower Commons on the College Avenue campus.
Nationally, ZTA supports breast cancer awareness as its philanthropy. The ZTA foundation trademarked Think Pink in Feb. 2004 as an umbrella for all their breast cancer education and awareness projects, according to the ZTA Web site.
The Rutgers chapter will have 100 pairs of sweatpants, selling for $20 each that say "Think Pink" in pink down the leg. 150 Think Pink T-shirts have been designed for both sexes, and cost $15, said Melissa Addison, Rutgers College senior and co-fundraising chair for ZTA. Pink ribbons will also be sold for $1 each.
All proceeds for the clothing will be donated to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a grassroots foundation dedicated to the battle against breast cancer, said Rutgers College senior and co-fundraising chair for ZTA Lauren Grado.
Last year, the Rutgers chapter donated $5,000 to Komen for the Cure, she said.
"That was one of our best years," Grado said. "We went to a lot of businesses and got donations from them, too. We did a lot of outside fundraising for Think Pink Day. Hopefully we will do that [again] this year. We weren't able to get as many [businesses] this year, but we're still trying."
The ZTA foundation began supporting Komen for the Cure in 1992 when it became the first national sponsor of the Race for the Cure's National Series Breast Cancer Survivor Recognition Program, according to the ZTA Web site.
Theta Delta Chi will be assisting the sisters of ZTA in their efforts today, said Matt Cortland, a Rutgers College sophomore. He said Theta Delta Chi wants to show how excited they are about helping out with the fundraiser and promoting breast cancer awareness.
In addition to Think Pink Day in October, the sisters of ZTA at the University created "Spring in the Pink" last spring semester in an effort to fundraise twice a year, Addison said.
Five million Think Pink ribbons alone have been distributed over the past 11 years, according to the Web site.
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