National Breast Cancer Awareness Month gives women the opportunity to learn more about the disease - the sooner the better.

Activities throughout the month will help women recognize the importance of early detection.

Today is “Tell a Friend Tuesday,” which encourages women to call eight friends they care about who are older than 40 and remind them to get their yearly mammogram.

Lansing Mayor David Hollister will be placing calls in support of the program at City Hall from 10-10:30 a.m.

Sharon Greenhoe, a spokeswoman for the Lansing-area American Cancer Society, said early detection is the most important treatment of the disease.

“Early detection is 97 percent curable,” she said.

But there is basically a three-prong approach to preventing breast cancer, Greenhoe said. The first is the self exam, the second is a yearly clinical visit and the last is the yearly mammogram.

Currently, 67 percent of women in Michigan have yearly mammograms, but there are still a lot who do not.

“There are a lot of reasons why women don’t get checked,” Greenhoe said. “Some can’t afford them, others have the fear of the unknown and most just have a lack of education.”

The MSU Women’s Resource Center is increasing awareness by getting involved with programs on campus.

The organization held the first annual “An Evening of Women in Jazz: A Tribute to Breast Cancer Survivors,” on Sept. 20.

Patricia Lowrie, director of the Women’s Resource Center, said the event raised $700 and she appreciated the support.

Lowrie said the center will help with “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer,” a 3.5-mile walk starting at the state Capitol on Oct. 13 to raise money for breast cancer research.

The center will also be showing a series of videos dealing with breast cancer and women’s health.

“There will be lunchtime videos during the middle of the month,” Lowrie said. “People can come and get information from our resource library.”

The first video, “Breast Health and Breast Cancer: Women’s Concerns,” will be shown at noon Oct. 15 in Room 332 in the Union.

Kathleen Braunlich, a spokeswoman for Olin Health Center, said the center doesn’t have any activities planned. But if college students need a mammogram, the center can refer them to the proper clinical group.

For more information, visit www.cancer.org or call 800-227-2345.