More than 50 participants entered to raise funds for breast cancer awareness yesterday as part of the We Love You Mommy Foundation’s first Go Pink 5K Run/Walk on campus.
The walk raised an estimated $3,500 to $4,200 as participants walked throughout campus in pink shirts and wristbands that read “We Love You Mommy.”
All proceeds from the event will go toward providing mammogram exams in the City of Long Beach, co-founder of the foundation Julian Courtney said.
“We raised the funds to pay for women’s mammograms in the city … and men, the 1 percent of men that are diagnosed,” Courtney said. “We promote health, healthy living, exercising on a regular basis, eating good on a regular basis and getting screened on a yearly basis.”
The foundation started more than two and a half years ago, when Courtney’s mother was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer.
Courtney said the diagnosis inspired them to start a fundraiser to raise money for her care.
“It did pretty well, and [my mother] and I discussed it and turned it into a foundation together to further help and spread the love in our community,” Courtney said.
Courtney’s mother, though, passed away before the foundation was started.
“Unfortunately she didn’t pull through,” he said. “My mom, Thelma Lorraine Wallace, passed away on May 30, 2011, and we jumped into [the foundation] pretty quick. It’s got a lot of love from family and friends, and it’s only right to keep it going and keep spreading the love that we did receive.”
The foundation aims to provide people with $100 mammogram exams and is currently negotiating with Long Beach hospitals, including St. Mary’s, Long Beach Memorial and Pacific Hospital, to provide the mammograms.
Co-founder of the foundation William Alo said the We Love You Mommy Foundation is small right now.
“We’re funding it from our own pockets,” he said.
Alo and Co-founder Matthew Arana urged students to do regular examinations and stay healthy.
“They say that starting in your 20s isn’t a bad idea to self-examine yourself for breast cancer,” Arana said. “We had a young lady here today that was 28 that was just diagnosed, and her first chemo appointment is this month.”
Alo said he encourages students to become familiar with breast cancer and help spread awareness.
“Believe in something, healthy living, healthy choices, exercising daily, making sure it’s part of the routine, so we can eliminate certain things, especially cancer,” Alo said. “The way to effect change is to be that seed that we planted, just spread the word.”