Huntington to light luminaries for cancer awareness
FOR RELEASE: Sunday, October 15, 2006
Huntington, Ind.-Huntington University will commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month with a luminary lighting and prayer vigil at 9 p.m. Wednesday on the central mall. Students, faculty, staff and the general public are welcome to attend.
Oct. 9-13, information tables were set up in the Habecker Dining Commons and the Huntington Union Building. Volunteers including 11 students, three staff members, one alumna and the mother of an alumna handed out pamphlets and pink ribbons. More than 600 ribbons were distributed.
In addition, luminaries in honor of or in memory of friends, family and acquaintances who have battled any type of cancer were sold for $1 each. Proceeds will benefit the Young Survival Coalition, an organization offering support to young women coping with breast cancer.
Awareness efforts and the luminary lighting were inspired by Mary Knipp, a 1986 Huntington University graduate living with stage four breast cancer.
"Young women think they don't have to worry about breast cancer," said Knipp of Modoc, Ind. "They think it's something their grandmas get in their 60s, but it's just not true. Young women need to be proactive about their healthcare. They need to do self exams. I cannot stress enough there is no medical cure for breast cancer."
For more information about the luminary lighting, contact Margaret Roush, director of church and alumni relations at (260) 359-4097 or Heather Barkley at (260) 369-4171.
