PULLMAN, Wash. — Pharmacy students from Washington State University presented a check for $329.75 to the Breast Cancer Support Group of the Palouse at its monthly meeting Wednesday night (Nov. 19) at Pullman Memorial Hospital.
The Professional Pharmacy Student Organization raised the money during its first-ever, weeklong Breast Cancer Awareness Week on campus last April.
The money came from donations collected at an information table the students set up on Glenn Terrell Mall and from a bake sale they held at the close of a panel discussion by breast cancer survivors.
“As we are all too well aware, breast cancer is present and pervasive,” said Heidemarie Windham, president of the PPSO and a third-year pharmacy student. “As students last year, we asked ourselves, ‘How, as pharmacists, can we do a better job for patients with breast cancer?’ We formed a committee; we established a breast cancer awareness week; we collaborated with the WSU Cancer Care Alliance to bring speakers to campus; and set up tables on the mall to get the word out about early detection and support groups.”
Pharmacy students Justin Jellison and Kristen Allison presented the check to the support group. The chair of the support group’s advisory committee, Birgitta Ingemanson, an associate professor of foreign languages at WSU, said the money will be used to help update the Palouse area breast cancer resource guide.
“We are extremely grateful to the students of pharmacy for doing all the activities last spring,” Ingemanson said, “and for deciding to give to the support group.”
