Whitaker Bank Ballpark was full of sunshine and pink Sunday afternoon to celebrate the eighth annual Making Strides of Fayette, a Breast Cancer Awareness walk.

17,000 individuals walked to support raising money for breast cancer at Making Strides 2016.  A total of $126,000 was raised by these individuals. This was an increase of how much was raised last year with $110,000. The money raised from this walk will go to breast cancer research as well as programs that help individuals with breast cancer cope.

Ayron Corbitt, the vice president for community engagement at the American Cancer Society, said she was pleased to see the amount of people that were at the walk to help cure breast cancer. Her grandmother was diagnosed 20 years ago and survived through treatment. Corbitt hopes that through walks and funding such as Making Strides, breast cancer will eventually be eliminated. She also believes that college students can help end breast cancer.

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“I think that college kids have a huge opportunity to educate other college kids and raise awareness. I also think that students can influence their parents,” Corbitt said. “Sometimes, a lot of times, a mother tends to care for everyone around her and not herself. A student can influence their mom to seek early detection.”

UK sorority Kappa Alpha Theta created a team to participate in the walk.  Theta was able to raise $380 to support breast cancer awareness. The team included 20 girls. 

One member of the team, Molly McGinn, a psychology freshman, participated in the walk to support her grandmother who had passed away from breast cancer. This was McGinn’s first walk to support breast cancer but she had cheered on her mother previously as she participated in a three-day breast cancer awareness walk.

Another UK organization Student National Pharmaceutical Association also created a team to participate in the walk. Together this team raised $552 for the walk. SNPhA also plans to have a bake sale next week at the pharmacy building. The proceeds from this bake sale will also go to a donation for the American Cancer Society. One member of this team Brooke Caperton, a third-year pharmacy student, said that she thinks students can be a great help to stopping breast cancer. 

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“Students can promote breast cancer and show support to those who have been effected,” Caperton said. “They also can educate people that men also get breast cancer.”

Several breast cancer survivors were in attendance for the walk. Debbie Jacobs, who has been free of breast cancer for one month, said that she was thankful for everything that the American Cancer Society does for those who are battling cancer. Jacobs discussed a program called, “Look Good, Feel Better,” which gives women with breast cancer makeup and other supplies to help make them feel better. “Look Good, Feel Good” is one of the programs that are funded through the walk.  

Another survivor Donna Fowler, who has battled breast cancer twice, could not walk because of COPD, (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), but became emotional watching the teams return from the 5K.