Awareness might not be enough anymore

Now that one of the biggest awareness months of the year is over, breast cancer awareness, organizations are seeing a drop off in donations and support.

“We had a really impactful month of October,” Nancy Shepard, executive director and founder of the Indiana Women in Need Foundation, says.

I.W.I.N. is a non-profit breast cancer services organization in Indiana that helps women pay for cancer treatments. Every October, they sponsor events to help raise awareness.

However, Shepard says that the thing that really gets people to take action is being personally affected by breast cancer.

“I think there has to be a connection to the cause to take action,” she says.

Little Red Door, another cancer services organization in Muncie, Indiana, shows support for the cause by creating a Breast Cancer Awareness Month Challenge. It’s mostly little things, like wear pink, go for a walk and eat a veggie. And of course, read the Little Red Door blog.

Challenges, like these, and events to raise awareness are getting people to talk about the issue, but not much else. There is no solid evidence that shows awareness is getting people to take action.

Alpha Phi Omega’s annual Pretty in Pink Fashion Show is a local example of how awareness does not equal action. Every year they fill the show with nearly 500 people, but usually do not get the donations they hope for, says Jenise Banks, vice president of service for Alpha Phi Omega.

“We don’t get as much money as we expect to get,” Banks says.

This year the fraternity is partnering with Little Red Door to put on the show. Banks hoped that with the combination of a “challenge” and an event, more donations would be given at the show this year than in the past.

Pretty in Pink took place on Oct. 27 in the Student Center Ballroom. Admission was free and donations of money and personal goods were taken at the door.

Banks wishes more people would have shown up. About 150 people showed up, and they collected about $150.

“It is important to us that we have as many people as possible because bringing awareness to breast cancer is important,” she said.

*This is a story I wrote for a class at Ball State University.