The sea of pink in the school earlier this month was a result of the LOTAs for a Cure Club. The club is a cancer awareness club at Holy Cross that is open to all students.

The club was started by alumnaes Alex Bruno and Annie Myers several years ago. It was originally called Breast Cancer Awareness Club, but the name was changed this year to LOTAs for a Cure, to make the club more inclusive and to direct the school’s attention towards all types of cancer.

Club Moderator and Assistant Athletic Director of the school, Kellie Looney shared, “Now that we are covering a more broad community I am happier than ever to be the moderator.”

“I think this is an important club to join. All the students that have joined the club attend the lunch meetings and we brainstorm ideas of how to bring attention to these important topics,” Looney explained. She continued, “As a club we really do want people in the community to know that we are all affected by some cancer or sickness, that they aren’t alone.”

The club leaders were unable to have a booth at this year’s club fair, but they want the club to be very active in the community and are looking for more people to join.

Club president Eileen McConville explained, “I decided to do this club because breast cancer and cancer in general have had a large impact on my life, with my mom having breast cancer and my aunt and grandpa suffering and beating cancer.”

Vice president Evie Barnes agreed, “I wanted to join this club because it’s for a great cause and I know many people that have sadly been affected by cancer.”

The leaders noticed how many people in the community have been affected by cancer. This is why this club is important to many students, and why others should support their efforts to contribute to the cause.

Barnes expressed, “I think others should join our club because it’s a super friendly group of students and supporting and raising awareness for cancer patients is a nice thing to do.”

The members of the club have been working collaboratively to think of new ways to raise awareness and money for research.

Barnes exclaimed, “We are planning many fun events this year! One of them is a fun pink out breast cancer awareness tag day.”  

This tag day was held on November 4. The event proved to be a great success; raising over $600 for the cause.

McConville added, “We have many other events planned like the “Dig Pink” soccer game with our soccer teams against Elizabeth Seton, and DeMatha vs. Gonzaga soccer teams. In the spring we have a self breast examination seminar being planned for our juniors and seniors.”

Overall the club is very informative and a good way to learn about the impact of cancer on the Holy Cross community. The different activities and many club meetings, which are not mandatory, allow all members of the club to contribute by asking questions and sharing ideas of their own.

McConville expressed, “I think other people should join because it’s a really fun club, I know I’m biased but I really think it is. It isn’t a light topic we’re dealing with but we stay positive and try to be creative with our ideas.” She extended an invitation to LOTAs, “We are always welcome to new and interesting events and activities which we can work on as a club.”