Think Pink: U of T Mississauga gets ready for the CIBC Run for the Cure

Nicolle Wahl

Imagine a sea of pink on the campus green. Imagine pink ribbons, wigs and tutus worn over U of T blue. On Sunday, Oct. 2, U of T Mississauga will host the second annual CIBC Run for the Cure in Mississauga, and students, staff, faculty and alumni are encouraged to join the UTM team.

The five-kilometre run and one-kilometre walk raise funds for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, an organization that sponsors numerous U of T breast cancer research projects. Last year, the Run for the Cure took place in more than 60 communities across Canada and raised $33 million. In Mississauga alone, more than 2,500 people participated, raising more than $602,000.

“U of T Mississauga’s family includes 13,000 students, staff and faculty and more than 40,000 alumni,” says Andrew Stelmacovich, executive director of the campus’ Office of Advancement and captain of UTM’s Run for the Cure team. “Sadly, many of them will be affected by breast cancer, either fighting the disease themselves or seeing it in a family member or friend. This is an opportunity for the UTM community to come together to raise awareness and funds to fight this disease.”

On Oct. 2, opening ceremonies and welcome remarks will begin shortly after 9 a.m. on the campus green in front of the Davis Building. Following warm-ups, the run and walk will start at 10 a.m. After participants have completed the run or walk, the U of T Mississauga Alumni Association will host a barbeque for all official UTM team members on the patio outside Spigel Hall.

Last year, the official U of T Mississauga team raised a total of $8,560, and along with three other campus teams collectively raised $17,347.  The University of Toronto Mississauga community had a total of 111 participants in the event.  

U of T pride will also be on the line as the university seeks to maintain its number one ranking in the Ontario University Challenge. The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation issued the challenge to campuses to increase university participation, and last year 10 universities participated. U of T Mississauga was part of the overall U of T team, which won the challenge by raising $109,538 across all three campuses.  In total, the Ontario University Challenge generated more than $237,000 in revenue for breast cancer research.

To register for the official UTM team, visit http://www.runforthecure.com/goto/UTM or contact Tara Verma, advancement coordinator, Office of Advancement, at: tara.verma@utoronto.ca. U of T Mississauga faculty, staff, students and alumni participating in the Run at locations other than Mississauga (for instance, in the Toronto run) can still choose to join the UTM team.

To register for the BBQ, visit http://alumni.utoronto.ca/alumnibbq