Poly Prep has developed a new partnership with Girls Love Mail in commemoration of Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October. The program distributes handwritten letters of encouragement to women diagnosed with breast cancer in hopes of not only spreading awareness but also making a tangible impact on those affected by the disease. 

“Breast cancer is really common…[that’s] part of the reason awareness of it is so important,” said Middle School Science teacher Erin White, who organized the partnership with Girls Love Mail. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer within their lifetime, and one in 43 will die from it. While breast cancer is less common in men, the ACS reports that one in 755 will nonetheless contract it.

To address this proximate issue, White organized for Poly students to write letters in partnership with Girls Love Mail. In the Middle School, this manifested in “an advisory activity for those who would like to use the advisory block to write letters to those undergoing treatment,” according to an email that was sent to the Poly community from Head of School Dr. Noni Thomas López.

A similar activity was conducted at Homecoming, where seniors Ijeoma Stanley and Emma Auger-Dominguez — members of the Student Service Board — operated a stand that gave attendees materials to write letters of their own. “It’s very accessible,” said White. “This is something that everyone can do where they individually are making a one-to-one difference to a human…[and it] doesn’t take too much time.” 

However, beyond the empathy and awareness this partnership can raise, White emphasized her hope that it makes a substantial impact on those in need. “The point of service learning…is that it really isn’t about you,” she said. “It’s about doing something for someone else. What I really want from [this] is to have…made an impact.”