October Feature: Let’s Run for a Cause!

One event worth featuring this month was the “Octobre Rose,” or Pink October event, jointly organized by our very own Feminist Union (FU) and the Bureau des Sports (BDS) of the SciencesPo Menton campus.

On October 3, a fundraising sale and run took place in Menton, with the support of the Institut du Cancer de Montpellier, for the student population to raise awareness on breast cancer prevention and diagnosis, as well as donating to the cause.

The event consisted of merchandise and food sales that began at Bastion from the late morning, culminating in a 4km run/walk to the Italian border post and back to Bastion.

Even as it began to pour at the beginning of the run, the organizers and participants were undeterred and remained determined to complete the 4km route. Despite the odds, the runners completed the run and were able to support a good cause. The mood back at Bastion after the run was ecstatic.

Below is an interview with Cloé Azria (Co-President of the FU) and Samanéa Rousseau (President of the BDS) on their motivations and experiences in organizing the Octobre Rose event. The interview has been lightly edited for the purpose of this feature:

What is your objective of organizing the October Rose event? What is the beneficiary organization, and which other student associations did the FU partner with to achieve this aim?

Cloé: Organizing Octobre Rose has been one of my most beautiful projects as breast cancer is a cause that I really care about. Breast cancer is and must remain a matter of common concern. It is not just about women and girls suffering from a disease which can be potentially treated, it is a cause which can affect our friends, our sisters, our mothers or any other woman on this earth. It is thus important to remember that breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and the second most common in the world after prostate cancer. After spending my summer as a volunteer at a cancer patient support centre, I really understood the terrible stakes of this disease. This is why I wanted to unify the students of Menton around such a beautiful and touching subject. In addition, as I used to participate in the Pink October races in Montpellier, the idea of doing a similar event in Menton could not be more evident. My aim: organizing a “not serious” race for a serious cause (What I mean by these words is a fun run which supports a very serious cause). As I couldn’t organize Octobre Rose last year because of Covid 19 and the sanitary situation, I was more than eager to concretize my project. As one of the Co-Presidents of the Feminist Union and Vice-President of the BDS, it became obvious that the run would be a collaboration between the two associations, especially with Samanéa, the President of the BDS, who has been a great help in both organization and realization of the event!

Samanéa: I think we can all agree that breast cancer overall is a very important cause which must be fought for. It represents a very special cause to me because I got to see the effects it can hold both mentally and physically on one individual. My mom got breast cancer when I was ten and, although she is the strongest human I possibly know, I got to see how much it destroyed her. We tend to think that the diagnosis and the treatment are the hardest to go through yet the step after you are finished is even harder – especially as a woman – to accept her body after breast cancer. Once the treatments are done, once you have been accommodated with chemo, radiotherapy, the tons of operations and ins and outs at the hospitals, getting back into the real world; to your job, to social gatherings... To run basically any task once you go through something that so drastically and unexpectedly changed you is the hardest. You never can really heal from cancer. It takes acceptance and faith to take back your life where you “left” it and I admire my mom- and all these women- that are going through or have gone through a breast cancer suspicion or diagnosis. Pink October is the occasion for celebrating the little but giant fighters that these women are -because let me tell you that- to face an illness which makes you stand on a thin, thin line between life and death is one hell of a changing experience. Pink October is the occasion to raise funds for the foundations supporting these women during their treatments, the hospitals, the NGOs, the research institutes helping the treatments improve. Pink October is also the occasion to raise awareness amongst men and women. I am one of many who has seen a loved one go through a cancer diagnosis so please share the information. Ladies check up on yourselves, men make sure your surroundings know about this cause and how important check-ups are. It is never a fun topic but truly, the earlier you notice it, the better. That is what Pink October is about. That is what the pink ribbon means. When Cloé came to me with the plan of organizing an event containing a race for Pink October, the matter was set, and I was thrilled to put my BDS board and myself to collaborate with the Feminist Union on this cause.

What is the greatest challenge you have faced in organizing this event?

Cloé: Even though the organization was a bit complex as I had to face challenges regarding logistics, the city, the stands, the day... It was an amazing experience which taught me a lot as I had to learn how to deal with the Mairie, the various problems, the hospital, etc…

Samanéa: Cloé did such a good job with handling the administrative burden of getting authorization- THE struggle haha- and got such great ideas to make this event enjoyable for a serious cause.

What is the amount of funds that you managed to raise during the event?

Cloé: Along with the sale of goodies and the run, we have launched a prize fund to collect all the donations to fight Breast Cancer. For now, we have collected about 800€ which is amazing! The prize fund is open until the end of October and we hope with all our hearts that people will still give something to support the fight against breast cancer, as all the donations will be given to the Cancer League.

What is your greatest takeaway in organizing this event?

Cloé: Organizing this event took me many weeks but I had an incredible team by my side, first Samanéa and then both the FU board and the BDS board. We even decided to go to Ventimiglia to buy all the food and drinks we needed and it was really fun to do! The fact that our event was also sponsored by the Institut du Cancer de Montpellier was amazing: they sent us goodies (USB keys, pens, shirts, bracelets...) and gave the race more impact!! I sincerely want to thank all the people who helped me in this touching event, it couldn’t have gone better. I also want to thank the Institut du Cancer de Montpellier for supporting us.

Samanéa: Seeing the project take form by Cloé’s side was very warming. Seeing the associations of our campus supporting our project and encouraging their boards to participate encouraged us. Seeing our students engage was touching. Seeing all of us get together for this cause was beautiful. Organizing the event with our great team made it easy and enjoyable. We thank you for bringing your smiles to your event and for making it count with your donations. Special thanks to my board for being incredible ;) Let’s keep it up.

Given Cloé’s and Samanéa’s recount of events, it would have been an understatement to call the Octobre Rose a success, for it fully demonstrated the solidarity of the campus to unite around a singular cause that continues to affect the lives of millions around the world. For all inquiries regarding breast cancer or how to donate to the prize fund, please feel free to reach out to either Cloé or Samanéa directly in person or through social media.

- Wang Di