Walking for a cure: C.A.R.E. Walk 2015

The C.A.R.E. Walk was held at 5 p.m. yesterday across campus, where it attracted thousands of students to show support for breast cancer awareness. The walk was led by Rebel Black Bear along with several breast cancer survivors.

The C.A.R.E. Walk, which stands for Cancer Awareness Research and Eradication, is a fundraiser hosted by the University of Mississippi Panhellenic Council to raise money for breast cancer research. The event was created by the Zeta Tau Alpha chapter at Ole Miss. The chapter has since become inactive at Ole Miss, but the tradition continues. This year marked the twelfth annual C.A.R.E. Walk at the University.

Caroline Templeton, Vice President of the Judicial Board of the Executive Panhellenic Council said the walk has raised roughly $40,000 this year.  Every dollar raised goes straight to Baptist Memorial Hospital for breast cancer research, Templeton said.

Grace Gardner, a senior accounting major and president of Pi Beta Phi sorority, has been participating in the event since she was a freshman.

“My aunt had breast cancer when she was in her early thirties,” Gardner said. “She’s a survivor.”

Gardner believes the cause receives many benefits from students coming together.

Alex Russell, a junior speech pathology major, said believes in the importance of raising awareness for breast cancer.

“It can happen to us just like anyone else,” Russell said.

The importance of the C.A.R.E. Walk was not lost on new participants.

“The walk is a good cause to get everyone rallied around,” said Mariel Spencer, freshman business major.