Organization Name: 15-40 Connection
President Name: Julie Barbash
Leadership positions and who holds them:
Carolyn Bulpitt – CFO, Hannah Cerone – Event Planner, Stephanie Rizzi – Secretary
Julie’s On-Campus Involvement:
Student Employment in the UConn Child Laboratories in infant and toddler classrooms; Member of UConn Future Educators; Volunteer for Husky Sport
How did 15-40 Connection get started on campus?
The National Organization of 15-40 began in Central Massachusetts and my mom has been involved with them since their start. When the idea of 15-40 clubs began my brother started a club on their campus. This made me want to bring it to UConn. One of the major goals of 15-40 Connection is to stress the importance of early cancer detection for individuals within the age range of 15-40, so since we are on a college campus I strongly believe in having this organization on campus.
When did the organization come on campus?
Our organization has been active on Campus since November 2013, but this semester will be the first semester of hosting awareness events on campus.
What does the organization hope to accomplish this semester?
We really want to pass along on the message of 15-40 Connection and change the way people talk and think about cancer. Could you recognize a cancer symptom? Do you perform routine checks of your body? Survival rates for the age range of 15-40 have been at a stand still since the ‘70s because there is a lack of early detection, which is proven key in changing those statistics.
What does the organization mean to you?
Cancer is something that has affected my family, but that is not the only reason why I got involved. When you hear stories of survivors from this age group and all they had been through before reaching remission or even befoe starting their treatment programs, it really changes your perspective. This is something that could happen to anyone. Have I ever noticed a health change and thought my body would figure itself out? Would I continue going to the doctor if something still did not feel right even if they told me I am fine? It gives students a sense of empowerment and confidence in themselves.
When are meetings and what can new members expect?
Our meetings are Tuesay nights at 7:00 pm in SU 410. We have recently started our planning process for multiple awareness events that we hope to host on campus that introduces who we are and sparks a change in the conversation about cancer. We have had a lot of fun in the meetings so far and encourage more and more people to attend and try to be a part of us!
What gave you the idea to bring 15-40 Connection on campus?
As I said, my brother started an organization at his college in Western Massachusetts and they received a huge positive response from students on their campus. It inspired me to bring it to Uconn and see how many individuals we can work with since our campus is so large.
How can an interested student become involved?
Feel free to contact myself personally at julie.barbash@uconn.edu or our club’s email at 1540connection.uconn@gmail.com for more information! Or come to our next meeting on Tuesday night! We are always open to new members interested in joining our initiative.
For more information, please visit: (any websites you provide with more information!)
The national organization site can be found at http://15-40.org/ and has general information of how it was founded, what they represent, etc. UConn also has their own clubs page from the 15-40 site at http://clubs.15-40.org/uconn/ where we post photos from events and use to plan for future events as well!