Fourth year for breast cancer walk may be its last

By Summer Bozeman

Since her freshman year, senior Amanda Cole has organized the Flagler College Campus Cure for Cancer by herself. But after she graduates this spring, there may be no one to take over for her.

At her home in Dayton, Ohio, Cole was very involved in her community, volunteering her time six days a week including helping out with a local breast cancer walk.

As she started her career at Flagler, she felt she needed something to occupy her newly-found spare time and set to work organizing her own fund raiser to benefit the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

That first year, she only had six weeks to get school and city approval, make media contacts, compose registration sheets and have T-shirts designed and printed, along with planning a safe sidewalk route.

The fund raiser took a personal turn for its second year when Cole’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Cole had been afforded more preparation time for the event, and the increased publicity and organization raised approximately $9,000 — with $5,000 going to her mother’s treatment and the rest to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Now that Cole is a senior, the fate of the Campus Cure for Cancer is up in the air. “Tentatively, this is the last one,” she said. “There’s lots of support from students and faculty members, but no one has actually volunteered to take over.”

Without someone to carry the torch, the future is looking dim, even with the nine months of preparation Cole has contributed. Still, this year’s walk on Nov. 11 promises to be the best one yet according to Cole.

“I get random women from the area calling me,” Cole said. “Women I’ve never met before, asking me where they can get screened and stuff like that.”

Cole also has the support of her friends and family, with around 17 people flying in from around the country for the event this year.

For this year’s raffle, Cole has a $100 gas gift card, a coupon package for the city’s annual Taste of St. Augustine and one of the pink Louisville Slugger bats used in play in a Mother’s Day major league baseball game, produced to be auctioned off with proceeds benefiting the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Registration is $10 for students or those under the age of 18. The first 100 people to pre-register will receive a free T-shirt. For more information, contact Cole at acole@flagler.edu.