The Gateway - U of Alberta Students Newspaper - Nov 1, 2004

Fraternity dons 'breasts' for breast cancer

by Nicole Tomlinson

Members of the Delta Chi fraternity busted out bras and let it all hang out around campus last week to raise awareness about cancer.

The three-day fundraiser, Wearing Bras for Breast Cancer, raised a total of $975 for the Cross Cancer Institute.

Donations were collected through what was dubbed The Most Beautiful Chest Contest, which asked donors to choose from a series of pictures and vote by donation for the most attractive chest.

“We took some guys from our chapter, took pictures of their chests and put them on containers, and people came by and voted,” said fundraiser organizer Kristofer Perlinski.

Besides the men, there was also a picture of Perlinski’s cat, Lucky, who dominated the competition, receiving a total of $194.40 in donations.

Perlinski, a cancer survivor himself, came up with the concept for the fundraiser.

“We’re building awareness about different kinds of cancer: people notice you if you’re walking around wearing a bra,” he explained.

The men of Delta Chi had a table in SUB with pamphlets and information about cancer. They also went around the University to collect donations and talk to students.

“We got a little red in the face at first. We went around to classrooms and went in, and profs actually stopped their lectures and gave us the floor. We were a little embarrassed the first couple of times. After you’ve been doing it for three days, though, it’s not such a big deal,” said Perlinski.

Although they did receive a few complaints, Perlinski said that it was all worth it to support the cause. He emphasized that the point of the fundraiser was not to offend.

“Some people are embarrassed or think that we’re doing something rude; we don’t mean to be rude. We’re just trying to build awareness about different kinds of cancer,” he explained.

The guys used their own money to buy all of the supplies that they needed, and friends and girlfriends lent their bras to the cause. They are giving 100 per cent of the donated money to the Cross Cancer Institute here in Edmonton.

Perlinski believes that building awareness and raising funds for cancer research are key components to finding a cure.

“Almost everybody knows somebody with cancer, or is affected by it in some way. The more people that are aware of it or can donate the better,” he said.

“I had cancer and I was cured, and at first it was considered incurable. If we keep donating, eventually we’ll find a cure.”