Cancer organization fundraises for afflicted youths

By Shabnam Daneshvar

Daily Staff Reporter

Thanks to University Students Against Cancer and 340 participants, nearly a dozen cancer patients age 5 to 17 can enjoy summer camp without having to pay a dime.

Charity Night, the first event of Cancer Awareness Week for children who live with cancer and their siblings, raised more than $9,000 last night at the Cavern Club in Ann Arbor.

"We've been working on this for weeks," said Business senior Erica Karp, one of the three directors in charge of the charity event. Karp and her roommates LSA seniors Lara Englebardt, Allison Sherman and Stacey Goldberg have all knocked on doors asking people to buy tickets for the event, with all proceeds from this and every event this week going to Special Days summer Camp.

"We completely exceeded our expectations since we were hoping to make about $6,000 to $7,000 through this charity event. Now, we're looking at $9,000" for the summer camp, she said.

The event included a comedy act and dancing at the club. "By holding it at a bar, we thought we would get more people than if we held it at the Union, which has less space. We (were) even at maximum capacity at the Cavern Club," Karp said.

Julie Blaszak, president of USAC, said this week is the biggest event of the year for the student group.

"Our goal for this week is two-part. One, we want to raise greater awareness of cancer in terms of educating people about the disease and prevention, and two, we want to raise money for Special Days Camp," in Portage, she said.

Awareness Week Co-chairwoman Christie Wiles said students are adamant about cancer support because "anyone that you ask has probably known someone who has been touched by cancer," she said.

To provide a support group for students who are cancer patients, or their family members, USAC was established in 1989.

From what was once a one-student endeavor, Blaszak boasts that USAC has "skyrocketed since then" to nearly 200 members who have joined together to "make people more sensitive to the disease" since it is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, Blaszak said.

This week, USAC has planned events including bucket drives on the Diag, a candle-light vigil planned for tonight on the Diag at 9, a mass meeting tomorrow in the Union with two guest speakers who live with cancer and a five-kilometer run or two-mile walk Sunday at the Indoor Track Building.

An art exhibit featuring cancer patients' and survivors' works of art will also be displayed at the Union Study Lounge throughout the week.