By Sally Ann Moyer
Reporter

Baylor’s Gamma chapter of Kappa Phi Gamma Sorority held its CARE Week kickoff rally Tuesday in the Barfield Drawing Room of the Bill Daniel Student Center.

CARE (Cancer Awareness: A Real Effort) Week is the sorority’s largest event of the year, Houston senior Ayman Rahman, internal vice president of Kappa Phi Gamma, said.

“So far, this is our biggest CARE week. We are a small sorority, so we couldn’t throw it as big, but now we’re much larger than before,” Rahman said.

Rhonda Kirk, a representative from Susan G. Komen and a Baylor alumna, shared her experiences with breast cancer at the kickoff.

Kirk’s father and maternal grandmother were both cancer survivors. She is now a six-year survivor.

“Cancer taught me that I was not going to pick my testimony,” Kirk said. “God wanted me to share my story of breast cancer with others.”

She reminded the audience of the importance of cancer awareness.

“Become an advocate, become someone who is seeking a cure because someday there will be a cure,” Kirk said.

Katy freshman Sarika Sanghvi, service chair for CARE week, received a Locks of Love haircut from Labella Visage Salon & Day Spa during the event. The hair will be used to create a high-quality hair prosthetic for children suffering from medical hair loss.

“We want to spread the word. We honestly just want to get people thrown into the mix of things,” Sanghvi said.

The event also included information from Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a global leader of the breast cancer awareness movement, henna tattoo sales, face painting, donation opportunities and strolls.

“A stroll is a dance that you do that shows the pride you have in your sorority. You do it with all the members of your sorority and it shows off a lot of sorority or fraternity pride,” Sanghvi said.

CARE Week began more than ten years ago at the University of Texas at Austin with the founding chapter of Kappa Phi Gamma.

“Our founding sorority realized that cancer affects a lot of women, and they decided that they wanted to do something about it,” Sanghvi said.

The week’s events will include a candlelight vigil today, Mr. CARE Week Pageant Thursday and a car wash Friday afternoon.

Rahman said the Mr. CARE Week Pagaent is the biggest event of the week.

The pageant will feature men from different campus organizations. This year’s theme is a James Bond parody: License to Cure.

“It’s just a chance to show off and be silly,” Sanghvi said.

Kappa Phi Gamma sorority members will be at a table every day this week from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Bill Daniel Student Center.

They will be selling $1 raffle tickets for gift cards to local Waco restaurants, $10 CARE Week T-shirts and $3 tickets to the Mr. CARE Week Pageant.

Pageant tickets are also available at the door for the same price.

All proceeds will benefit Scott and White Research Foundation for Cancer Research in Temple.

“It is a disease that takes many lives away, so any research that can be done is great because a life is important,” Rahman said.