Women’s choir serves community for Breast Cancer Awareness

Every college student wants to be a part of a class that
really does not seem like a class at all. Over the course of four
years very few students are able to say that one of their classes
feels like another home. However, for the students of the
University of Kentucky Women’s Choir that is what they have.

“I don’t think of it as a class, I think of it more as a home, a
family, a friendship,” said Elexene Mattingly, co-president of the
women’s choir. “It is a place to come and relax and sing. It can be
demanding but it’s rewarding.”

The women’s choir consists of over 100 students. These students
decided that they wanted to give back to the community, and
selected a community service project taking place this weekend.
Over 50 percent of the class is going to participate in this Susan
G. Komen Race for the Cure community service event. The Race for
the Cure is taking place Saturday, October 16. The five-kilometer
run starts at 8 a.m. at the Crown Plaza downtown.

The website for the Susan G. Komen foundation says that 75
percent of the funds will stay in the state of Kentucky. The
remaining 25 percent will go to the headquarters in Dallas, Texas,
to continue to do research to try to find a cure for breast
cancer.

Dr. Lori Hetzel, the conductor of the women’s choir pointed out
that her student’s bacled the idea for this community service
event.

“They wanted to put it in the syllabus so that more students
would get involved,” Hetzel said.

“Many of the girls have been affected by breast cancer. It was
important for them to be able to feel like they are making a
difference.”

Caitlyn Ealey, the women’s choir public relations chair
highlighted that this event is the first community service event
that the choir has been a part of.

“We have never given back to the community before,”Ealey said.
“We wanted to promote women helping women. We are a group of strong
independent women who wanted to give back because we felt like that
was our duty.”

Dr. Beth Arnold, vocal technician for the women’s choir, became
a full-time employee of the University of Kentucky in 2009. The
idea for getting involved with the Race for the Cure is something
that she has always wanted to do.

“I have been growing my hair out for two years, so that I could
donate it. This year it is finally long enough to cut,” Arnold
said.