The 18th annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure will be this Sunday at Denver's Pepsi Center. (Race for the Cure and pink ribbon copyright the Susan G. Komen Foundation)
The 18th annual Susan G. Komen Race for The Cure will take place at the Pepsi Center in Denver. There will be three events: a 5K Co-ED Run/Walk at 7 a.m., another 5K Co-Ed Walk at 8 a.m. and the Family 1-Mile Fun Walk at 9 a.m. The Closing Ceremony will also feature a speech from the Susan G. Komen Founder and Ambassador, Nancy G. Brinker, according to the website.
Part of those 60,000 participants will be CU students and Boulder residents. The Sigma Lambda Gamma Sorority, as part of their breast cancer awareness philanthropy, is gathering a team and doing fundraising for the race.
Brittni Hernandez, a 20-year-old junior ethnic studies major and recruitment co-chair and community relations co-chair for Sigma Lambda Gamma, said she is excited that the sorority is able to raise awareness about breast cancer.
“We are very excited to say we host fundraisers year-round with a percentage going to breast cancer awareness,” Hernandez said.
She said she feels this race is also an important event for them and the community.
“Race for the Cure is important because it benefits women and families of all backgrounds who are affected by breast cancer,” she said. “The research is showing that more and more young women are being affected by breast cancer as well. These women, young or old, are our future, our family members and our friends.”
Besides the annual fundraising, the sorority has gathered a team of 30-plus for the race, which members said they have been a part of for the past five years. Members of this team are not only sorority members, but family members, CU students and community members.
Hernandez said she feels that college students, like those at CU, should care and be involved in this cause.
“Most college students have the time, the capacity and the passion to make a difference,” she said. “This is a pivotal time in our lives to practice compassionate action.”
Some students, like Evy Valencia, a 21-year-old ethnic studies and sociology major and fellow Sigma Lambda Gamma member, have personal ties to the race.
“I decide to take part of this race every year because I have women in my family and in my life who have been affected by breast cancer,” Valencia said. “It’s a small way that I can contribute and be part of their fight against breast cancer. If we can raise awareness then we can save more women from being affected.”
Lauren Carroll, a 22-year-old history major, said that although she did not know about the event, she would like to participate in future events like this.
“Yes, [I would go],” Carroll said. “My mom had a scare [with cancer] a couple of years ago and I think it is a really good cause.”
She said it would also be good if the university did more to inform students of events like this occurring in the Boulder and Denver area.
For those wanting more information on the Susan G. Komen foundation or the Race for the Cure can check out their website here. For those wanting to participate this year, they can still register between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m at the registration tent on Sunday.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Isa Jones at Alexandra.i.jones@colorado.edu.
