October is known among many as the spooky season. The time when it gets colder and the leaves start to change color. But for others, October can mean something completely different. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. If you are wondering how to help and take part to spread awareness at RB, here are some simple ways to participate:

RB’s Girl Up Club will be hosting a bake sale during the week of October 17th and 18th during all lunches. 

“The money we generate from the bake sale is going to go towards creating care baskets for breast cancer patients in the community or in the hospital,” said student Eva Funaki, a junior here at RB, who is also the leader of Girl Up. Here is a great post to read in case you want to take prior care and precautions about your body.

If they are unable to find anyone in our community with breast cancer (due to privacy, etc.), the Advocate Christ Center for Breast Care said that they would be happy to take them to give to their patients. 

Many families in the Riverside-Brookfield community struggle with this issue and are affected in their own personal ways. 

“Some of my friend’s mothers have breast cancer, so it is a personal issue. I see how it affects some people’s lives. 1 in 8 women in the United States will have breast cancer some point in their life,” said Funaki.  

Not all women have equal access to healthcare so they are unable to pay for mammograms. Mamograms are used to detect breast cancer. Breast cancer has the highest mortality rate of any cancer in women between the ages of 20 and 59. Adds Melissa Carmona, who is the sponsor of Girl Up. 

“I thought we should focus on it because it is such a big issue and it will most likely affect a lot of us in our lifetimes,” said Funaki.

On October 17th, RB will also have an all-pink day in which staff and students wear pink clothing. Funki also explains that they plan on making an announcement one of the bake sale days to help spread more awareness.

“I believe we should have a lot more events like this,” said Funaki. “It’s a great cause and something everyone should support.”

The football team is also planning on helping spread awareness this month. 

“Major league football teams often support Breast Cancer Awareness by wearing pink during one of their games,” explains Brendan Curtin, who is the Vice Principal for the athletics department at RB.

“High school athletes tend to go to the next level and try to replicate what’s being done at the professional level some times. So our kids will pick one game where they can showcase any gear wristbands, towels, socks, etc. It’s completely the player’s discretion,” said Curtin. 

“We also encourage athletes to get involved if that’s something they feel strongly about,” said Curtin. 

“Each player has their own experience with breast cancer, with family members. We don’t [match] uniform as a team, but the players can bring awareness to breast cancer wearing pink,” said Curtin.

“We also encourage athletes to get involved if that’s something they feel strongly about,” said Curtin. 

Even though it is not a team decision, Curtin still wants his players to feel that they can bring attention to the issue some of them may struggle with, in their own unique ways.

“Don’t be the guy that just wears the gloves or the wristbands or the pink towel because you want to look like the players that play on Sundays. Be the guy that goes the extra mile to get involved,” said Curtin, expressing his feelings on the issue. 

Curtin doesn’t want people to think that they are doing this because they want to look “cool” or “to be like the professionals”. He wants his players to be able to share their experiences in a positive way and bring awareness to this issue in a special way. 

So, if you are involved in an athletic sport, try to spread awareness with your teammates, if not, then buy a baked good from Girl Up or just rock a pair of pink socks, every bit of support helps women with breast cancer around the world find a cure.