The Mayo Clinic estimate nearly 200,000 people will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year.

Amanda Morley, secretary for the National Residence Hall Honorary, asked members of the Residence Hall Association at Thursday night’s meeting for help in trying to decrease this number for future generations.

Morley, a senior family and consumer science major, said she wants RHA to help NRHH to get students from the residence halls involved in the various fundraising efforts.

NRHH has raised money for breast cancer research for many years, and this year, they decided to change the way they raised money.

Morley said last year NRHH supported National Denim Day, which is a day where people wear their favorite pair of jeans to pay tribute to National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

She said they handed out ribbons and collected donations last year, something they might do this year as well, but they will take a much more active role in fundraising this year.

NRHH will raise funds by selling T-shirts, handing out ribbons and offering students the chance to dunk student leaders and faculty members in water with a dunk tank.

Morley said students will be asked to wear the shirts on Oct. 3, the day NRHH will honor National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The shirts will be sold in areas where the most students will be exposed to them, such as near Buzzard Hall, Coleman Hall and the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

The shirts will be pink, in recognition of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, with the phrase “Today, I wear pink” on the back.

Morley said she thinks NRHH chose to support breast cancer research because so many people are affected by it and want to help find a solution to the problem.

“It’s something a lot of people care about and are willing to donate for,” she said.

One such student is sophomore communications major Kyle Clore, whose grandmother recently got out of the hospital after a bout with breast cancer.

“I’m ready to wear pink,” he said.

Clore said he supports any kind of program that helps alleviate the pain breast cancer causes.

Justin Schuch, a sophomore corporate communications major, said he was glad to see a group on campus take an active role in breast cancer fundraising.

“I’m happy that Eastern is going to support it,” Schuch said.

Morley told interested RHA members they can help during the fundraiser by informing students in residence halls about the activities.

The individual residence halls were to raise and donate money through different programs of their choosing.

Last year, these programs included activities like “Pie Your RA” or “Coin Wars” and the proceeds were given to NRHH to donate.

Morley said she was excited about the fundraiser and hoped NRHH reaches it’s goal of raising $2,000 this year.

Morley said all of the money raised would go towards funding the new Mills Breast Cancer Institute in Champaign, which will be completed next year.

The Eastern chapter of NRHH chose the institute because of its proximity to the school.

“We decided on it because it was close to home and it’s something people will recognize,” Morley said.

While she has never seen a family member or friend suffer from breast cancer, she has seen what it can do to others and feels it is a worthy cause for NRHH to support.

“I know I want to do whatever I can to help out this cause,” Morley said.

RHA President Jarrod Scherle said he hopes RHA can help NRHH raise money for this cause and said he will likely be involved in the fundraising activities.

“I fully support it,” Scherle said. “It’s a great idea.”

NRHH will honor National Breast Cancer Awareness Month Oct. 1-5.

Amanda Morley and Rebecca Wilson, representatives from the National Residence Hall Honorary, present to the Residence Hall Association about their plan to raise breast cancer awareness during Thursday evening’s meeting in Lincoln-Stevenson-Douglas Halls l

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