2 minute read
Pink Hair for a Cause
By Ariana Ramos
When Marissa Mowrer (projected BA 15) chose to continue her family’s legacy of attending ENMU after seeing how successful it had been for her grandfather, father, mother and sister. At ENMU she pledged the Delta Pi chapter of Zeta Tau Apla (ZTA), a women’s fraternity. ZTA is recognized for their philanthropy and sisterhood.
ZTA has taken a special interest in raising money and awareness for early detection of breast cancer. Marissa recalls, “I knew quickly how deep and special the charity and bond was to ZTA and I wanted to be a part of it.”
As 2014 director of philanthropy for her chapter, Marissa came up with some fun ways to inspire her sisters to help raise money for Breast Cancer Education and Awareness. Once she let her sisters throw a pie in her face as an incentive and recently she offered to die her hair pink to help them reach the goal!
She set a fundraising goal of $1,500 and as she promised dyed her hair pink. To get her sisters to raise even more, she promised to dye her eyebrows pink if they raised an additional $1,500. They quickly met that goal and Marissa followed through, dying both her hair and eyebrows pink.
Her pink hair was noticed by many, and even caught her off guard when she’d see her reflection in a mirror. The pink hair ended up serving as more than just an incentive for his sisters to raise money. It created a talking point to spread the word about breast cancer awareness with complete strangers.
The ENMU Zetas have raised nearly $7,000 in just one year. They also have an annual 5K marathon this spring that will help them raise even more. One hundred percent of the funds they raise goes towards breast cancer education and awareness.
Marissa is thankful for the support that ENMU and Portales have provided to her sorority. She finds the University and community’s support align perfectly with ZTA’s main ideas of service and leadership. Marissa plans to take the accomplishments of her overall experiences at ENMU and in ZTA with her after her time at Eastern.
