In efforts to bring awareness to breast cancer, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. will be holding their first interactive walk.

This walk will take place at 3 p.m. Wednesday meeting at Ninth Street Hall. It will continue on to Andrews Hall then end at Old Main.

Melanie Dyer, the president of Zeta Phi Beta, said this walk is a way for students to hear personal stories from others to become aware of the disease.

Phillip Love, the president of Alpha Phi Alpha, said many people have important stories that need to be told in regards to breast cancer.

Michael McGee, chairman of membership intake, said this is the first time the two organizations have worked together to have an interactive walk.

“With every event we do we look to evolve to add more involvement,” McGee said.

McGee said his fraternity helps the progress of African-Americans. He said this event can help with the progress of not only African-American women, but women of all races.

“Our organization takes pride in helping with major causes such as this,” McGee said.

At each station members of the organizations will be telling personal stories about breast cancer.

 “This is more than just a breast cancer walk, these are real people telling real stories,” Love said.

The members of the organizations will tell how breast cancer has affected their lives. Some of them have had family members who were diagnosed with breast cancer and they will tell their survival stories.

Information about how to get tested will also be given out during the walk.

“I wanted this walk to have some kind of meaning behind it further than just breast cancer,” Love said.

Dyer and Love both agreed on it being very easy to get members of their organizations to come out and share their personal stories. They said while dealing with sickness in family members, it could sometimes be difficult to come out to people and tell how it affected them or their family members.

“Sometimes hearing personal stories can give others strength and motivation,” Dyer said. “Asking the members of my organization who have been affected was very easy. They were all on board.”

The targeted audience for this event is not just women, they want anyone who has been affected by breast cancer or has seen anyone affected by breast cancer to come out and support the walk.

Love said many events on campus have dealt with breast cancer, but he wanted this walk to be a way to have a real conversation. He said this walk is a way to show the reality of the disease.

“I believe women are aware of breast cancer. Getting them to go out and get tested is where the problem comes in,” Love said.

McGee said breast cancer should be a main concern of college women. He said this should be a concern because there could be things going on now potentially affecting the health of women in the future.

Although October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Alpha Phi Alpha and Zeta Phi Beta plans to keep working together to bring awareness of the disease in months other than October.

Dyer said they wanted to have this event during the last week of October to give the walk a lasting impression. She said she wants people to take away from everything being said at the walk so they can see the bigger picture dealing with breast cancer.

McGee said they will not ask students to give money during the walk, but they do encourage them to take knowledge away from the event.

McGee said the members of Alpha Phi Alpha will personally donate to the Sarah Bush Lincoln Regional Cancer Center.

“These stories will touch a person more than giving out candy or just giving facts about breast cancer,” Love said.

Torri Griffith can be reached at 581-2812 or tlgriffith@eiu.edu