People everywhere show their support for those affected by breast cancer by wearing pink, creating awareness for the disease, and educating others on the warning signs of breast cancer throughout the month.

At Bellevue West, individual students, sports teams, and clubs all showcase their support for Breast Cancer Awareness month in different ways.

On Oct. 7,  juniors Katie Brown and Abby Richards attended the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, a fundraiser where participants walk a one to three mile route as a way to raise money for cancer research.

Brown and Richards went to this event as part of their Community Based Learning (CBL) project. CBL projects are meant to implement solutions for a prominent issue in a student’s community.

“My CBL is about raising money and awareness for breast cancer through a donation website and by educating people on warning signs of breast cancer,” Brown said in an email.

Brown and Richards plan to donate their money to a website that was created through the Race for the Cure that will use the funds for research and breast cancer education.

Many fall sports at Bellevue West also support Breast Cancer Awareness month, such as the volleyball team’s annual Dig Pink game where they raise money for the Dig Pink foundation, which uses the money to fund breast cancer research and education.

Junior volleyball player Kaia Hada said she believes that since cancer affects many people, events like the Dig Pink game are important to raise awareness.

“We have it every year and it usually makes them $2,000,” Hada said. “I think it’s important because volleyball is mainly a women’s sport, it’s a women’s illness and cancer affects most everyone.”

The football team also supports breast cancer awareness simply by wearing pink.

Defensive coordinator Wade McVey has seen players participate in the fundraiser for many years.

“What they do is they pay to wear pink clothing and usually we all wear the same thing,” McVey said. “The last couples of years we’ve actually donated to local charities.”

The purpose of October serving as an awareness month goes beyond just showing support for people who are suffering from the illness. Familiarizing people with the disease and its symptoms could lead to better knowledge of when to get checked.

“I think breast cancer awareness is important because if people are more educated on warning signs, they could get detected much earlier if they were to have breast cancer,” Brown said.

Whether it’s breast cancer or something of lesser severity, supporting a larger cause can impact numerous lives.

“It’s more than just breast cancer awareness,” McVey said. “[Students] just need to know that giving back to something bigger than themselves is important.”