Elmhurst College president named top fundraiser for DuPage Real Men Wear Pink campaign

The American Cancer Society has named Elmhurst College President Troy D. VanAken the top fundraiser of the Real Men Wear Pink campaign of DuPage County.

VanAken raised $10,135 for the campaign, crediting his success in large part to a parallel, campuswide effort called Real Bluejays Wear Pink.

In its second year, the county's Real Men Wear Pink campaign raised a total of $47,000 to support the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. Throughout the month of October, 27 prominent men in the area participated in the campaign. Real Bluejays Wear Pink, led by VanAken and Vice President for Student Affairs Phil Riordan, a cancer survivor, engaged Elmhurst College students, faculty and staff throughout October in a number of events and activities to support the campaign.

A highlight was the Campuswide Pink-Out on Oct. 25, when more than 500 students, faculty and staff gathered on the College Mall to form a giant pink ribbon. That evening, E! News anchor Giuliana Rancic and her entrepreneur husband, Bill, spoke before an audience of more than 700 about Giuliana Rancic's breast cancer diagnosis seven years ago and its impact on their lives.

"I was so proud of the way the campus community came together to support the campaign," President VanAken said. "Nearly all of us have a family member, friend or colleague who has been affected by breast cancer, so this has been an especially meaningful cause for us."

"We are grateful to all the Real Men Wear Pink candidates for lending their voices to our cause," said Wayne White, executive vice president at the American Cancer Society. "These community leaders made a huge commitment to raise funds to help save more lives from breast cancer. Donations like these allow the Society to help save lives through early detection and prevention, innovative breast cancer research and patient support."

Other 2018 Real Men Wear Pink candidates were from companies including Rush Midwest Center for Advanced Imaging, FP Mailing Solutions, Zurich North America, FedEx Office, Community Bank of Elmhurst, Edward Medical Group, Earth Friendly Products, TopGolf Naperville.

and more.

According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 252,710 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and an estimated 40,610 will die from the disease this year. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, and it is the most common cancer diagnosed in women other than skin cancer.