College of Business Administration

GROUP MEMBERS:

Charles Brewer
Lindsey Martin
Heidi Slapo
Fajar Sumukti
Elaine Woldrich

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

This year alone, breast cancer will be diagnosed nearly 200,000 times, and claim over 40,000 lives. Almost 2,000 of these new cases will be in San Diego County alone. In the face of these staggering statistics, the American Cancer Society is determined to raise money to aid victims and promote research for a cure. The Making Strides project in particular has been instrumental since its inception in 1993 in aiding their cause, and has raised millions of dollars in this effort. The donations collected are dedicated to cancer research, education, patient support, and advocacy programs to defeat this disease.

Our group chose the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer project for several reasons, the main one being the cause itself, and the chance to raise awareness in the community about something we all feel very strongly about. Instead of focusing on raising money, however, our aim was to create awareness and support in the community, which we feel would better aid the cause. The ethical ramifications of the ethic of care and distributive justice also weighed on our decision, specifically how the American Cancer Society helps gather support for victims and survivors alike in the community, and raises money to aid those who cannot afford medical care.

Our first task was to get in touch with the Making Strides Director of Programs, Anne Marie Mowatt, who supported our focus on awareness instead of money. She provided us with ample brochures, posters, stickers, and pins to be distributed around the city. Next we spoke directly to local organizations and businesses, starting with the San Diego State University campus and working out from there. When a substantial support group was formed, it was time to volunteer at the walk itself, and help organize the many people making donations and participating in the event.

From our goal of raising awareness instead of donations, it is difficult to separate what we did specifically as a group to aid the success of the event. However a total of $420,000 was raised at the Making Strides event on October 28, 2001, and 13,000 people participated in the five-mile walk. At the event itself were many booths advertising ways to aid the breast cancer cause, including how to conduct a self-examination, other ways to volunteer, and how to help pass relevant legislation. And while we can’t physically separate what we were responsible for bringing to the walk, we are satisfied that our goal was met, and a significant portion of the community is now aware of the American Cancer Society’s cause.