The Breast Cancer Awareness Club at Whitney Young High School in Chicago brings together students dedicated to learning about breast cancer and fundraising to support the fight against the disease. During the 2024-2025 school year, the club raised more than $1,550 through Go Pink for the Cure, Komen’s school and sports fundraising program that empowers students and teams to make an impact against breast cancer in their communities.
The Inspiration Behind the Breast Cancer Awareness Club
In the fall of 2023, Hayden, then a freshman, hoped to start a community service-oriented club on campus. She approached her friend and fellow student, Anjali, to serve as co-president and help organize the club. They worked with Equal Hope, a nonprofit organization focused on improving quality of life and reducing health disparities, to determine the club’s focus area.
“Through our conversations with Equal Hope, we learned about the huge inequities in the Chicago healthcare system,” Anjali said. “There are major disparities in breast cancer survival rates. We quickly realized we wanted our club to focus on education and awareness.”
Anjali and Hayden soon connected with Komen. In May 2024, Hayden and several club members made a 10-hour round trip to volunteer at the MORE THAN PINK Walk in Peoria, Ill.
They also recruited a group of volunteers from the school to support the 2024 Chicago Race for the Cure. Club volunteers cheered on participants and assisted with post-event cleanup. They volunteered again for the 2025 Race for the Cure.
Turning Awareness into Action: Fundraising for Breast Cancer Through Go Pink for the Cure
Through their local Komen connection, they learned about Go Pink for the Cure, Komen’s school and sports-focused fundraising program. The program encourages healthy living and breast cancer awareness while fundraising to help end breast cancer.
“We met with the Go Pink team and learned what our club could do in terms of taking action on a larger scale,” Hayden said.
Anjali added, “In the beginning, the club was focused on education and spreading information to the community. Getting involved with Go Pink for the Cure really allowed us to expand our efforts to include fundraising and engaging with other school groups.”
As a part of the club’s breast cancer fundraising efforts, they created an online merch store. Students, faculty and community members could purchase custom pink T-shirts, pajama pants and hoodies.
“We knew not everyone would want to buy merch online and wait for the items to ship,” Anjali said.
The club presented a grant proposal to Friends of Whitney Young – an independent fundraising organization that supports academic and extracurricular programs at the school. A grant would allow the club to pre-order shirts to sell throughout the school year.
“We received the funding and were able to purchase 50 shirts to sell at events,” Anjali said. “Through the shirt sales, we were able to raise enough to pay back Friends of Whitney Young and make an additional donation to Komen.”
Go Pink Games: School Sports Teams Lead the Charge for Breast Cancer Awareness
Selling shirts was the catalyst for the club’s bigger fundraising endeavor: a series of breast cancer awareness games. These games were held during different sporting events throughout the school year.
“We had eight games with the flag football, football, basketball, girls’ soccer, girls’ lacrosse, boys’ volleyball, girls’ volleyball and boys’ baseball teams,” Hayden said. “Everyone was so incredible and supportive. They all wanted to be a part of what we’re doing because many had a connection to breast cancer.”
The club provided pink gear for the athletes at each game. Additionally, they set up an information booth for attendees to learn more about the club’s commitment to supporting breast cancer education and research. Hayden provided homemade treats as an additional fundraising element.
“Hayden baked these extravagant cookies that received so many compliments from supporters,” Anjali said. “It was a major source of fundraising for us.”
Student Involvement and Collaboration Drive Breast Cancer Awareness Success
Through all its fundraising events, the Whitney Young Breast Cancer Awareness Club raised more than $1,550 to support Komen during the 2024-2025 school year. Hayden credits the club’s success to community engagement.
“We’ve been very active on social media and we’re able to provide a platform for student photographers to have their work featured,” she said. “We also offer service hours for students who come volunteer at events, but at the end of the day, many of them have a personal connection to breast cancer.”
Anjali added, “We really saw that connection in the early days of the club, so being able to take action against breast cancer was something that was really meaningful to a lot of people in our school community.”
Pride from Those Who Have Watched the Club Grow
Faculty advisor Jaime Walters is amazed at the success of the club. She believes it speaks to the passion of its co-founders.
“At every club meeting, they have a PowerPoint presentation and will teach the members,” she said. “Quite honestly, they’re teaching me, too.”
Statements and opinions expressed are those of the individual and do not express the views or opinions of Susan G. Komen. This information is being provided for educational purposes only and is not to be construed as medical advice. Persons with breast cancer should consult their health care provider with specific questions or concerns about their treatment.
