For Erin Keefe, October means more than midterms, Halloween and sweater weather.

The senior math education major knows October as pink October: Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Keefe and her family are familiar with breast cancer. Keefe’s mom, Kit, was diagnosed in 1985, when Erin was a year old.

Kit went into remission, but cancer came back in 1991.

That’s when Kit started the CancerHelp Institute, a not-for-profit organization educational resource to help patients who have questions or are confused and want to learn more about cancer.

According to Cancerhelp.org, Kit thought she could make better and more informed decisions about her treatment if the information she had was more up-to-date and easily accessible. CancerHelps’ computer system and software accomplished that.

Kit died from breast cancer in 1992 when she was 48.

But Keefe and her family are dedicated to keeping Kit’s memory alive.

She and her sisters have participated in Relay for Life and the Avon Breast Cancer Walk.

Keefe helps support breast cancer research on campus, too, as a member of National Residence Hall Honorary.

People around the country will make a $5 donation to wear jeans to work on Friday, as participants in Lee National Denim Day. The money raised goes toward breast cancer research and awareness.

NRHH on campus is helping by holding a 50/50 raffle, taking donations for breast cancer research, outreach and education.

Members will be collecting in Coleman Hall and the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union. They’ll also be at Saturday’s football game, hoping to earn more money because of Family Weekend.

“We are hopeful that there will be a lot of people at the game and in tern we hope that many of them will donate to this worthy cause,” said Doug Howell, adviser for NRHH.

NRHH has been involved with National Denim Day for several years, Howell said.

He remembers participating six or seven years ago when he was a student in the program.

Keefe is coordinating Denim Day on campus. She said she supports breast cancer research because it can help thousands of people.

In the past 10 years, Lee National Denim Day has raised more than $61 million.

The tables will be up this weekend only, but the raffle will continue through Pink October.