During October, a month that has become synonymous with the color pink, members of Zeta Tau Alpha women’s fraternity were seen out and about promoting their national philanthropy, breast cancer education and awareness.
To kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Collin County Alumnae Chapter (CCAC) of ZTA teamed up with Plano Senior High Planoettes drill team to “Pink Out” the stadium for the Flower Mound Marcus vs. Plano game on October 3, 2013. This is the fourth year that Planoettes have hosted PSHS’s Pink Out and the second year that CCAC Zetas have teamed up with this drill team. Because breast cancer touches so many lives, Planoette director and Zeta Tau Alpha member Meredith Walraven is committed to seeing that the Pink Out tradition continues at Plano Senior High. The week before the Pink Out game, CCAC ZTA members Toni Chandler and Diane Goebel paid a visit to the Planoettes during their morning practice to talk about the importance of this initiative. As an added treat, Zetas served Yoplait® yogurt to the 82 drill team members as an after-practice snack. ZTA partners with Yoplait® in their Save Lids to Save Lives campaign, and the Planoettes pledged to help collect pink lids for the cause.
On game night, a team of CCAC ZTA alumnae handed out more than 2,000 Think Pink® ribbons to home and visiting fan in Plano ISD’s Clark Stadium. It was very moving to look up into the stands to see Plano fans wearing pink and waving pink Wildcat paw paddles. ZTA Think Pink® ribbons and pink accessories were seen on many drill team, band, cheer, and football team members on both sides. And to top it off, the Wildcat mascot wore a giant Think Pink® ribbon. Fans also learned how they can receive monthly health reminders from TakeChargeThinkPink.com, a program sponsored by Zeta Tau Alpha.
Prosper High School held a Pink Out pep rally on October 25, to cheer on their football team before that night’s game against Little Elm. Chris Andres, CCAC ZTA member coordinated the distribution of 1,600 Think Pink® ribbons to every Prosper HS student. The Eagle mascot and the school principal were seen wearing giant ZTA Think Pink® ribbons, and the school gym was a sea of pink that day. Principal Greg Wright moved the crowd by telling of his family’s struggle with breast cancer while cancer survivors who were in attendance sat in a place of honor in the gym.
On October 16, the Dallas Area Night and Collin County Alumnae chapters of ZTA co-hosted the monthly Plano Richardson Alumnae Panhellenic (PRAP) meeting, where “pink" was the theme for the evening. Zetas handed out TakeChargeThinkPink.com information and asked fellow PRAP members representing other Panhellenic sororities to collect pink lids for Save Lids to Save Lives. A representative from Bright Pink, who is also a ZTA, distributed cancer prevention information. The group enjoyed pink strawberry cake and a pink survivors' toast while wearing pink attire and ZTA Think Pink® ribbons. It was an inspirational evening for all who attended.
The Dallas regional office of the FDIC held its fall festival on October 28, to celebrate National Work and Family Month. CCAC ZTA Stacy Gannon coordinated ZTA's distribution of Think Pink® ribbons and Take Charge Think Pink information to 225 FDIC employees who attended the event. This year's theme, "Crafting a Career Story with Balance," focused on helping their employees better integrate their work and family responsibilities.
Zeta Tau Alpha fraternity for women was founded in 1898, and has more than 218,000 members worldwide. Breast cancer education and awareness is ZTA’s national philanthropy, and the organization partners with Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, Yoplait®, the National Football League and SELF magazine to promote awareness. Think Pink® is a registered trademark of Zeta Tau Alpha, and members have distributed 10 million pink ribbons since 1992. For more information, visit collincounty.zetataualpha.org and zetataualpha.org.
All in all, Collin County Zetas reached more than 4,000 residents of Collin County and Dallas during October to promote breast cancer awareness and to do their part in the fight for a cure.