Breast cancer. It’s one of the top killers of women in America, but Liberty High School is helping change that, one Patriot at a time. 

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Liberty had its 9th annual Patriots in Pink week during the first week of October. The Patriots helped raise around $5,000 this year alone. 

Michelle Munson, Liberty’s ASB advisor, started this fundraiser in 2012.  

“The ASB kids wanted to do a community service project, and when you have a community service project that starts from the grassroots and has some sort of established reputation, there is a big connection and we knew it was something our community would understand,” Munson said. 

That project has become a yearly school event and a Liberty tradition that brings the school together, creating a strong sense of community. 

“Simply put, we brought the community together to fight for a common cause. Yes, we made it fun by having a class competition and letting the grades go at each other, but at the end of the day, together we donated record numbers to the breast cancer foundation, which is what I am really proud of,” said ASB Executive board President Dhruv Naik.

Students and staff are not the only ones who enjoy this event; Liberty’s good deeds have received recognition from the community as well.

“We’ve been celebrated by the Seahawks and Sounders for this activity, and I’ve met with the founder of the breast cancer foundation a couple of times as well,” Munson said. 

The proceeds of Patriots in Pink go towards Wings of Karen, which is a local foundation in Maple Valley. The foundation was created by Kristi Blair, who lost her mother to breast cancer and is a survivor herself. At least 95% of their donations go towards research for breast cancer prevention, detection, and treatment at the UW Research Center. 

“It’s kind of next-level research, and it’s specifically local. Our proceeds go straight towards research within the foundation, which is a great opportunity because it’s just this little group in Maple Valley that a woman started on behalf of her mom having breast cancer,” Munson said. 

Over the years, Liberty has helped raise a total of $30,000+, and ASB hopes to continue this tradition for many years to come.