October 15 looking "Pink" at Seneca Dining Hall
Seneca staff members have pinned October as Breast Cancer Awareness month this year
Athena Lazo, '11 | Campus News Editor
Issue date: 9/25/09 Section: News
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Seneca Dining Hall Manager Bruce Hirsch said the T-shirts will cost about $20. Students, faculty, staff and those in the Morrisville community are encouraged to wear them during next month's "Pink-Out." Hirsch and his dining staff will be sporting the T-shirts during Mustang Weekend, this Friday and Saturday. His shirt will read "Saving boobies, one T-shirt at a time."
"The same T-shirt a high school student gets sent home for, parents are thanking me for wearing," Hirsch said. He added that he hopes to create awareness among the student body with a humorous approach.
Hirsch said he hopes that this project will be that "something" that makes the college community aware of the struggles that survivors and victims endure.
According to a pamphlet of the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund, 1 of every 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetimes. Baldwin has designed a program in Central New York that keeps 100 percent of locally raised funds in the area. Hirsch said he supports the fund because it takes care of "people in our own world."
Hirsch said inspiration for his "Pink-Out" efforts has come mostly from his wife, a lactose counselor and breast-feeding advocate. He said the education his wife provided, and his mother's battle with uterine cancer when he was younger, have inspired him to create more awareness on a campus that should have a stronger voice.
"I want nothing more than to look out of Seneca on a beautiful afternoon in October and see nothing but pink T-shirts walking around," he said. Hirsch added that it is this vision that has helped to make this event possible.
A Seneca staff "Pink-Out" was arranged last semester, but nothing transpired. Hirsch said he was frustrated with the selfishness of those who were disappointed that they were not invited or given a T-shirt when he ran out. "Instead of getting mad, I looked at it as an opportunity to reach out to that many more people," he said. "I got an idea to blow it up bigger."
Hirsch said he plans to hold random drawings Oct.14 to give out free T-shirts. Students are encouraged to join Hirsch, the Seneca staff and the Baldwin Fund Saturday to help raise money for research in Central New York.
Please contact Elizabeth Baldwin of the Breast Cancer Research Fund of CNY, Inc. at phone number 315-672-5288 with questions, concerns or suggestions. "She puts a personal spin on anyone that reaches out to them," Hirsch said.