By Gabriel Rodrigues
The Peer Health Education Team (PHET) at Laurentian University will hold its first annual bake sale, as it “creates cancer awareness,” according to the program coordinator.
“This event is for breast cancer awareness but to round it all up, we will do testicular and cervical cancer since its November,” said Coralea Kappel, second-year bio-med student. “Basically, our team wants to educate on those cancers but we also want to make it a positive experience.”
On Thursday, Nov. 7, PHET will be holding a bake sale fundraiser and educational cancer booths with the help of the Canadian Cancer Society with all proceeds going to the organization.
The event will be held at the bowling alley at Laurentian University running from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., as PHET is encouraging students to wear pink in honour of breast cancer.
“We realize that October is the national breast cancer awareness month and that national cervical cancer awareness week was in October,” said Kappel. “But, with midterms being in the middle of October we chose the beginning of November because we felt students would be in a better state of mind to take part in the events.”
This fundraiser is not only to raise money for cancer but also a chance to donate eight inches of hair with PHET holding a Beautiful Lengths booth from noon to 1 p.m. to encourage students, said Kappel.
“The hair will be used to create wigs for people with cancer,” she said. “Being beautiful and strong is very important for someone going through something like that. So this is an opportunity for people to help and contribute in any way possible.”
When Kappel was seven, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.
However, Kappel said, her mother is healthy again after help and support through family and friends.
“Cancer is something that affects everyone,” she said. “We want to make sure that people are aware of all this because the information is for students and people to try to prevent the best they can.”
PHET is a supportive program on campus in conjunction with the Wellness centre at the University to provide education to students for responsible decision-making and health related issues.
“It’s easier to talk to people who are in the same age range,” she said. “You can relate better to them because you are all dealing with the same general concerns.”
Kappel said the program has already been in place at other universities in Ontario but was not available until this year at Laurentian.
This isn’t the first educational booth PHET has provided, as it has already held one for Mental Health Awareness month in October and an alcohol and drug booth in September.
Other notable educational booths coming up for PHET include:
– The Onematch campaign with the Canadian Blood Services on Nov. 21,
– another Alcohol and Drug booth in mid-November,
– Sexuality awareness in December,
– a Mental Health awareness booth at the start of January,
– Heart month in February,
– and Mission Nutrition month in March.
“Students who are informed are in a better position, not only to take care of themselves, but to influence others,” said Kappel.
For more information regarding upcoming events, please visit and “like” the Peer Health Education Team LU on Facebook or contact peerhealth.lu@gmail.com.