The greek community's fifth annual "CatWalk," which benefits the Bobbi Olson Endowment for Cancer Research, is open this year to the rest of the Tucson community for the first time.
This fundraiser helps raise cash to benefit ovarian cancer research in memory of UA men's basketball head coach Lute Olson's wife, Bobbi Olson, who died of ovarian cancer in 2001, said organizers Sarah Miller and J.R. Allen.
In the past, the CatWalk used to be an exclusively greek event, but this year, the 2-mile walk through "greek row" is open to the public, said Miller, the
Panhellenic Association's vice president of programming.
"Because the CatWalk has been such a success in the past with just greeks, we wanted to incorporate the public to raise even more money," Miller said.
Another addition to this year's CatWalk is sponsor participation, said Allen, Interfraternity Council vice president of programming.
By having sponsors, the walk should raise more funds because the money for supplies like chairs and tables won't come out of the funds raised, but from sponsor donations, Miller said.
The Associated Students of the University of Arizona, Pepsi, Papa John's Pizza and JW Drilling Inc. are the sponsors for this year's event, Miller said.
With financial help from sponsors, organizers expect to raise between $15,000 and $20,000 and attract more than 1,000 participants, Miller said.
Some attendees include UA men's basketball team members and coach Lute Olson, Olson's wife Christine Olson, national representatives from her sorority Chi Omega and representatives from student government.
Lute Olson will lead the walk, which starts and ends on the UA Mall and goes through greek row on East First Street.
Olson and ASUA President Cade Bernsen will deliver speeches. Representatives from the National Panhellenic Council, Panhellenic Association and Interfraternity Council, which are hosting the event, will also be in attendance.
Participants can register on the event's Web site, www.union.arizona.edu/csil/greek/catwalk, or in person on the day of the event.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October marks national Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and women of all ages are being encouraged to start practicing methods that can prevent and help catch breast cancer, which is one of the leading types of cancer affecting women second to lung cancer.
One way college-aged women can lower their risk of forming the cancer later on in life is by cutting down on alcohol now.
Women who consume more than one alcoholic beverage a day may be increasing their risk for developing breast cancer in their lifetime by 21 percent, according to the American Cancer Society Web site.
Terri West, an administrative associate at Campus Health Service, said college-age women should start developing the habit of monthly breast self-exams for early detection of the disease.
Monthly breast self-exam shower cards are available from the Women's Health Center at Campus Health.
Early detection of tumors remains the most significant factor in breast cancer survival rates.
The National Cancer Institute recommends women more than 40 years old should have a mammogram, low-dose X-ray picture of the breast, every one to two years, according to their Web site.
Exercise and not smoking are other ways women of all ages can reduce their risk of breast cancer.
A family history of breast cancer, aging and hormone replacement therapy are also some of the factors that increase breast cancer risk, and white and black women are at the most risk for developing breast cancer than any other ethnicity, according to the Web site.
Although 1.3 women in 100,000 between the ages of 20 and 24 have breast cancer, one in eight women are expected to develop the disease during their lifetime, according to the Web site.