During Homecoming week, The Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation (HPER), held a Health Fair in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM).
October is the national month for Breast Cancer Awareness. On October 4th from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at the Davey L. Whitney HPER Complex, HPER hosted a Health Fair that was open to everyone. This event consisted of different tables that had information about Breast Cancer Awareness, Autism, sexual assault, and much more.
Several organizations were present during this event. Student, Keyona Burks, a Freshmen Education major from Port Gibson, Mississippi, stated, “This Breast Cancer Awareness event is important to me and others because it is teaching me and others things we never knew about Breast cancer.” The American Cancer Society, CANOPY: Children’s Solution, Jefferson Comprehensive Health Center, Monica’s Hope (Non-profit organization), and Families First for Mississippi are a few of the organizations that attended. Each organization had their own table and offered free pamphlets that included awareness about many different things. Families First for Mississippi provided information about fatherhood, CANOPY: Children’s Solution issued information about Autism solutions, and The American Cancer Society had information about mammograms and knowing if you have Breast cancer.
Thousands of people are affected by Breast cancer daily. Casaundra Thompson, Administrative Assistant/Event Coordinator, for the Department of HPER, stated, “Breast cancer is actually very prevalent in my family. My great-great-grandmother had it, my grandmother had a lump, my mother had a lump, I had a lump, and my aunt is a survivor of Breast cancer.” Program Field Coordinator for the Extension Program, Jaqueline Ford, stated, “My auntie passed from Breast cancer and I think it is important for everyone, including males to be aware of it because it’s a silent killer.”
This event was held for the community of Alcorn to ensure more people are aware of Breast cancer. It ended with a Barbeque and a mile walk around the gym that honored those who have and have had Breast cancer.