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Relay For Life gets fraternities, sororities walking for awareness

Groups give dance lessons, sell T-shirts to educate on cancer

February 10, 2003

Standing atop a wooden platform, Bindi Patel asked Roberto Alcantar to wear a pink poster on his back and walk around Munn Ice Arena.

"I can't wear it! Look how small my back is," Patel said to Alcantar, the president of Sigma Lambda Beta fraternity.

The poster advertised sorority alpha Kappa Delta Phi's T-shirt sale to support the American Cancer Society.

Several greek organizations came out to Relay For Life on Saturday afternoon at Munn. The charity event raised money for the society's fight against cancer.

"Our sorority's national philanthropy is breast cancer awareness," said Tejal Patel, historian for the sorority.

This is the sorority's first appearance in Relay For Life, which has been on campus for three years.

Tejal Patel said fighting breast cancer is a cause that hits close to home.

"This year, it's affected one of our sisters," she said.

"We found out in October her mother has it.

"We're trying to support her."

Beneath a blue tent with pink string lights, members of the sorority piled T-shirts onto their table that they would sell to visitors.

Like the sorority, this was also Sigma Lambda Beta's first appearance in the relay.

The fraternity gave salsa and merengue dance lessons later in the evening.

"We wanted to do something different," Alcantar said.

He added that his aunt was recently diagnosed with cancer.

This isn't the first time the fraternity has supported cancer awareness this semester.

Last month, the fraternity held a date auction with proceeds going to the society.

"We're going to begin to make this one of our chapters' annual themes," Alcantar said.

No stranger to the festivities, Alpha Phi Omega, a community service fraternity, made a third appearance at Relay For Life.

"Our principles are our community, our chapter, our campus and our nation," said Becky Martin, director of public relations for the organization.

"This is not only helping our campus and our community, but our nation."

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