Zeta Tau Alpha begins Think Pink Week
A sea of pink raced through Columbia this Sunday as Zeta Tau Alpha’s largest ever Pink Ribbon 5k kicked off this week’s “Think Pink” activities with a resonant bang. The race, benefiting breast cancer research and awareness, featured over 1,000 excited runners going from the South Carolina State House to a rousing finish in front of the Historic Horseshoe.
The racer count, which nearly doubled from last year according to fourth-year management science student and ZTA Director of Fundraising Lauren Miller, sparked a fundraising that Miller hopes may reach upwards of $12,000.
“1 in 8 women develop Breast Cancer,” Miller said. “ZTA’s goal is to educate people on facts like that and to raise money for Breast Cancer research.”
Since between 60 and 70 members of ZTA have family ties to breast cancer, the disease has a special meaning to the sorority, fostering a service-based focus that has been around for nearly eight years.
This week’s activities, which include a pageant, a movie night, and a pool party, will culminate on Saturday with a Think Pink theme for the South Carolina’s game against Kentucky. Think Pink Week is ZTA’s signature fall philanthropy push. Each spring, they hold the Crown Classic golf tournament, which raised over $50,000 last year.
All money goes to the ZTA Foundation, which gives out the money to breast cancer foundations in keeping with their message.
Miller attributed this year’s uptake in runners in part to a ZTA billboard set up in the Greek Village to promote the week’s activities, as well as a large word of mouth following among
students.
Race winner Jeff Spraker, a first-year exercise science student, attributed his participation also to word of mouth among the school’s Greek organizations.
“I haven’t actually run a race since high school,” said Spraker. “One of my fraternity brothers told me about the upcoming race and I figured I’d go. I love running for charity.”
Spraker crossed the line with a time of 16:57, narrowly beating out an unnamed Clemson Student to claim victory.
“It was a fun time,” Spraker said. “I’m really glad I came out today.”
Though there was certainly a competitive aspect to the 5k, the vast majority of racers participated primarily in support of Breast Cancer awareness, hoping to raise funds to combat the life altering disease that is so common among adult women.