Women’s Initiative brought students and organizations to the Quad Oct. 3 for a Western-themed Breastival, an annual AU event that raises awareness for breast cancer and other issues regarding women’s health.
This year’s Breastival slogan was “Outlaw Breast Cancer.”
WI set up a “General Store” where students could purchase merchandise, including this year’s Breastival shirt, which sported the phrase “Titty Wonk.” WI also set up a dunk tank labeled the “Watering Hole” and a “Saloon” where students could enjoy free popcorn and cotton candy.
WVAU, AU’s student-run radio station, provided music for the event.
All of the proceeds from the event go directly to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a foundation dedicated to education about the causes and treatment of breast cancer.
“We try to make it so that our fundraising capacity gets a little higher every year,” WI Director Carmen Rios said.
WI has been planning the Breastival since August.
“I think the event is valuable because it’s one of the WI events that’s a little more focused on having a good time,” Rios said. “We tried to set it up a little more like a festival this year.”
Various groups from AU and the surrounding D.C. community also participated in the Breastival. Organizations like the Sasha Bruce Youthwork and the American Institute for Cancer Research handed out pamphlets and spoke of the importance of keeping women well educated about their own bodies.
Students could pick up free condom holders and safe-sex kits from the Sasha Bruce Youthwork table and feel a model lumpy breast at the Suburban Hospital Cancer Program table. They were also encouraged to ask questions about their bodies.
“The more people can talk about their bodies, the healthier they’ll keep them,” said Margaux Delotte-Bennett, the representative for Sasha Bruce Youthwork.
Other groups present included Phi Sigma Chi, AU Student Government, the Student Advocacy Center, AU Athletics, the women’s ice hockey team, American Students for Israel and several pro-choice groups.
Many of these groups were at the event to support breast cancer awareness and others to advocate for other types of women’s health and wellness.
Despite the rainy weather, the response to the Breastival was largely positive.
“Today’s events are spectacular and even though it rained, it was an amazing event,” said Christopher Benjamin Franklin Smith, a representative from Fuse, a fruity drink company that helped to sponsor the event.
