Stretching from The Arch to Technological Institute, white paper bags emblazoned with pink ribbons lined the Sheridan Road sidewalk Sunday night.
As dusk approached, Zeta Tau Alpha sorority members scattered to light candles inside the bags to raise awareness about breast cancer and funds to fight it.
“You always hear about people raising money for breast cancer,” Weinberg sophomore Mavara Agha said. “But here you can see it.”
ZTA sold the ribbons for $1 on campus and in Evanston, allowing the buyers to decorate them, Weinberg junior Sophia Espinoza said. Proceeds went to the ZTA Foundation, which supports breast cancer awareness, she said.
Many ribbons had been marked with dedications to loved ones or phrases like “Happy Mother’s Day” and “Save 2nd Base,” while others were decorated with strawberries, stripes and messages of support.
The sorority gathered around 6 p.m. to start filling bags with sand and candles before lining them along each side of the sidewalk.
About 1,000 ribbons were sold but only about 800 were set up, since the group ran out of sand to put in the bags, Smith said. ZTA raised about $1,200, as some people chose to donate money instead of buying a ribbon, she said.
While selling ribbons, the sorority encountered many people, especially in Evanston, who were excited about the fundraiser, Weinberg sophomore Rachael Schultz said.
“They’d say, ‘Oh yeah, I want one. My mom is a survivor, my aunt is a survivor,'” Schultz said.
Community members were invited to come and walk along Sheridan Road any time Sunday evening, Espinoza said. It wasn’t an event with a time frame but an act of commemoration, she said.
After the candles were lit, a cappella group Extreme Measures performed for about 15 minutes.
Communication freshman Seana Peterson said the group performed Christina Aguilera’s “The Voice Within,” The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby” and Gavin DeGraw’s “I Don’t Want To Be” to a supportive crowd of ZTA members.
“We were singing ‘Voice Within’ and that was just a really nice moment because the lyrics of the song go with the theme of the night,” Peterson said. “It was really special.”
Peterson said her mother was happy the group performed for the cause, especially given it was Mother’s Day.
The correlation between Mother’s Day and the philanthropy event was no accident, Smith said. Many ZTA chapters hold breast cancer awareness events on the day, she said.
“It was mostly Zetas who were there, but it was really touching,” she said. “We like putting it on Mother’s Day just because it’s such a pretty event and it’s woman-centered.”
