Courtesy: Zeta Tau Alpha
1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. For the ladies of Zeta Tau Alpha it is of the utmost importance to honor and dedicate to those whom suffer or have suffered from this horrible sickness that affects the lives of so many. One of their largest and most important philanthropic events is Race to Live, a 5k run/walk throughout FSU’s campus in support of Breast Cancer Education and Awareness. Men and women of all ages are encouraged to sign up, it is a $15 sign up fee and all proceeds go to Breast Cancer Education and Awareness. According to Tallahassee Police Department and FSU Police Department, Race to Live is classified as on of the top five largest 5ks in Tallahassee.
Each year the average participants are between 1,500-2,000 runners. Each year they have over 100 sponsors; these are business and organizations that donate a minimum of $150 to have their logo placed on the t-shirts the runners wear during the race. After raising over $75,000 last year, these ladies are ready to have yet another successful year and expect to surpass last year’s goal.
The work begins for the ladies of Zeta Tau Alpha – Beta Gamma chapter by forming a committee in the spring semester and summer prior to beginning the new school year in the fall. The committee this year is directed by senior Sami Weinberg who states, “I am beyond excited to put on Zeta Tau Alpha’s 21st annual Race to Live! My co-heads and I started planning back in May and have made so much progress with the help of our seven committees. Between reaching out to sponsors and organizing fundraisers, our entire chapter puts so much work into making race to live a success. Knowing that our efforts are impacting so many lives makes all the hard work worth it!” Along with planning the race itself they also dedicate an entire week of fundraising events prior to race day called Think Pink Week.
Think Pink Week kicks off with ZTA King Field Day and share-it night at Pomberry that occurred on October 18th. Later in the week they have what is called “pinking out campus” and car chalking at ZTA on Monday. Spaghetti dinner night at the ZTA house is on Tuesday, October 20th (all tickets can be bought through a member). On Wednesday they participate in pinking out market Wednesday at the Union and hold a fundraiser at Cantina later that night.
There will be treats sold on Landis Thursday during the day and a fundraiser at Tijuana flats at night, ZTA will also be selling pizza on Friday outside of Mint Lounge. Finally, on Saturday there will be a balloon release to honor the breast cancer survivors and those currently fighting the disease.
On race day, all of the participants meet at the ZTA house and the race begins from there. As the participants run or walk through campus, there are groups of 5-8 chapter members cheering on the participants and handing out water. At the end of the race you see the majority of the members cheering on the runners as they cross the finish line. Food, beverages and music are provided to celebrate the participants as they come in from finishing the 5 kilometers race.
For the members of the chapter watching all of their hard work come to life the day of the event is the most rewarding feeling. They get to see first hand how their organization’s efforts impact the community and support a cause that is so close to so many people. This year is especially important to the ladies of Zeta because towards the beginning of the fall semester, Morgan Carr, a senior and member of the chapter passed away. Morgan has always held this event so close to her heart as her mother is a breast cancer survivor. To honor Morgan’s memory, this year’s race is dedicated to her and we all know she will be looking down from paradise with a smile from ear to ear.
Courtesy: Jenna Palmeri
For full details about the race and how to sign up click here.