Cancer is something that has affected the lives of everyone in some way, and for this reason Erin Silkowski was inspired to take action by becoming president of Colleges Against Cancer here at TCNJ.
In her path to becoming president, Erin led her freshman floor team in the Relay For Life for two years, took up a position her junior year, and did a lot of work to step up the organization’s Facebook page. She also introduced the idea of involving faculty in the Relay, as well as the Relay’s winter break fundraising challenge. With help of her co-captain, Erin headed Alpha Phi Omega’s team and fundraised the most for any team last year: a total of $15,000 in donations.
Erin saw cancer hit a personal note while she was in high school. She watched her best friend struggle as her mother battled cancer. Her friend, Katie, grew up too quickly, having to take on her mother’s responsibilities. Katie drove her younger brother to school, practices, and cooked dinners while their dad worked. Unfortunately, Katie also missed college application deadlines as her mother’s cancer got worse during her junior year.
When Katie’s mom lost her battle, Erin was inspired to get involved in any way she could. “Katie’s experiences made me want to fight back, so one day we can live in a world where there is no more cancer. No one should go through what Katie went through,” Erin said.
Leading Colleges Against Cancer became Erin’s way of fighting back. Her organization has many plans for the upcoming year. Next month, CAC will be having a lot of events for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The events include a Zumbathon, Pink Hair Extensions, maniCURES, cupcake giveaways, and Pink Party.
This year, they will be having their first Bark For Life, which Erin says is like a “mini-relay for dogs.” In November, they will be hosting the Great American Smoke out, where they will be handing out quit kits for smokers and grilling food too. As far as next semester, CAC’s focus will be on the Relay For Life which is set to be on April 4-5. Last year the Relay broke records raising over $70,000.
Erin’s goal is to get more organizations involved with CAC this year. She says, “I truly believe any organization, no matter how small, can change the world.” So look out for CAC’s events on campus this year to get involved in Erin’s cause and help this Campus Celebrity fight back against cancer!