ASA hosts event for breast cancer
For the past 24 years, Alpha Sigma Alpha (ASA) sorority, in collaboration with Student Health and Wellness, has organized the annual Breast Cancer Awareness Walk/Run at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.
This year, Vice President of Communications of ASA, Jordan Davis was able to arrange this event for the first time.
“We support our local philanthropies because we participate with our nationals, but we adopt our locals and try and focus on them,” Davis said. “We started this event in the 2000s, and are trying to get it to the milestone of 25, we have been doing good and this one was our biggest one yet.”
Some individuals join to raise awareness and enhance the community, while others are driven by personal connections to breast cancer, inspiring their participation and motivating others to get involved as well. Bianca Gonzalez ran at this year’s event with her two boys.
She is a mother and a friend who advocates for those affected.
Gonzalez originally registered for this race for her sons to motivate them to stay fit, which influenced her to do the same.
“We have several friends who are fighting cancer, and we have another friend who recently passed away from breast cancer,” Gonzales said. “We stand behind you 100% and we hope that by being involved in this walk/run that we can find a cure.”
Assistant Dean of Students with Student Health and Wellness JoElda Castillo-Alaniz states the event is free to join, open to the community and is always welcoming new volunteers. “It brings the community together to show support and awareness and is still in the forefront that there is no cure yet for breast cancer,” Castillo-Alaniz said. “We did have one time a student present and she was 19 and found a lump, so we know it can easily affect any of us at a young age.”
