Trinity Cancer Society (CancerSoc) is currently shooting for its annual naked calendar, which raises much-needed funds for the society and allows the exibitionists of Trinity to live the dream.
Sita Cogan and Claire Caulfield, the chairperson and social secretary of CancerSoc, say that the calendar was a popular endeavour. “Lots of people wanted to get involved in the shoot, and we’re halfway through the shoot now”, Caulfield says. “Our photographer is fantastic, he’s doing so much great work for us while also doing stuff with DUPA.”
Cogan, a radiation therapy student who got involved in the society last year, says the Irish Cancer Society “supports a lot of patients. They give them transport, they help them financially, socially, the bus takes huge stress off them, and then the social side of the bus is brilliant – you get to see people checking in on their friends”.
“It’d be really nice to drum up something around campus to raise awareness”, she says.
Caulfield is relatively new to the society: “I only got involved this year for the first time. It’s great. It is such a lovely group and the absolute icing on the cake is that it’s for such a great cause … most people these days have been affected by cancer so you know first hand what it can do and to know that you’re contributing to the cause is fantastic.”
“It’s amazing to see how hard-working people are”, Cogan added. “As you know, nowadays stress is paramount in college, and time is very, very precious. And to see some of the efforts and enthusiasm our committee members put in … not to be cheesy, but it’s very inspiring.” CancerSoc also has remembrance events for people who have lost loved ones to cancer, creating acknowledgement for a group of people around campus with shared experiences.
The calendar has been an annual event since 2008, with a number of clubs and societies across campus shedding for the cause. Cogan and Caulfield commend the practice of having events throughout the year that give support to people who are affected by cancer.
CancerSoc is hoping to close this semester with the launch of its calendar, which will be available in Arts Block before the end of the term. It will also be having a number of other events throughout the year, including skydiving fundraisers and pub quizzes. “We’re really volatile in CancerSoc – if someone comes up with an idea we’re like: ‘Yes, let’s do it.’ And it’s great because there’s a lot of doom and gloom around the ‘Big C’, and positive action helps.”
