Love the Victoria's Secret catalogue but hate the prices?
Thanks to F.O.R.C.E. (Fighting, Overcoming and Responding to Cancer Everywhere), you can keep your breasts looking as healthy as those VS models and win a free bra in the process.
To support Breast Cancer Awareness Month, F.O.R.C.E. is sponsoring the "Check Your Breasts For a Bra" raffle, in which the winner receives a $30 gift certificate to Victoria's Secret.
F.O.R.C.E., which raises cancer awareness on Grounds and supports the U.Va. Cancer Center, is selling tickets priced at one for $1, three for $2 and five for $3.
On the back of each pink raffle ticket are instructions for completing a breast self-exam, which everyone should conduct on a regular basis, according to F.O.R.C.E.
"Even young women our age should do self-exams on a regular basis," third-year student and F.O.R.C.E. Treasurer Natalie Mich said. "The key to prevention is early detection."
The raffle will raise funds not only for breast cancer research but also breast cancer awareness.
"Awareness is so important, and not just in the sense that we should be aware right now but more importantly in the future," F.O.R.C.E. President Emily Bethards said. "We need to be familiar with our breasts and recognize how they're changing."
Bethards stresses that awareness extends past our own bodies, though.
"We all have grandmothers and mothers that we love, and we need to make them aware as well," Bethards said. "We should make sure these women have yearly mammograms and perform self-exams on a regular basis."
The Bra Raffle, which will continue on the Lawn until the Friday afternoon drawing, is one of many activities F.O.R.C.E. sponsors to raise funds and awareness.
"During Cancer Prevention Week, we gave out foods on the Lawn all week that help prevent cancer," Mich explained. "In the spring, for Cancer Awareness Week, we talk to students specifically about types of cancer that affect their age group most often."
Growing steadily over the last three years, F.O.R.C.E. was founded by Christine Kowal, who graduated last spring.
"Christine saw a need for a group that would be dedicated to fighting cancer," Bethards said. "Three years later, her group has grown to include over 80 members."
Many of the members became involved after they lost a loved one to cancer. Mich's aunt died from breast cancer, and Bethards lost her grandmother as a result of a brain tumor.
"This group is a strong coalition," Bethards said. "Sometimes tragedy helps bring people together."
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