Candlelight vigil, walk-a-thon to raise funds for anorexia awareness

Lindsay Schultz said the best way to combat eating disorders is through awareness

“Not very many people are aware of how widespread and common anorexia and other disorders are,” the Saginaw senior said. “It’s very common in people that are college age. Even men can have these disorders.”

Two campus groups are sponsoring events for Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) this weekend.

The Delta Phi Epsilon sorority is sponsoring a candlelight vigil, and the women’s track team is hosting a walk-a-thon to raise money for ANAD.

The Delta Phi Epsilon sorority’s annual candlelight vigil will raise money and awareness for ANAD. The event will take place from 7 to 8 p.m. Saturday at Warriner Mall.

The sorority hopes to raise awareness on anorexia and to send a message of hope for recovery.

“The problem is that not all people with these disorders are visible,” Schultz said.

Utica senior Nicole Lane said the media is partly to blame for the emergence of these disorders.

“It’s a huge concern for our age group; the media portrays an image and people want to match that, which leads to things like anorexia,” Lane said.

The sorority wants to raise awareness for these disorders, and to try to help those that suffer from them.

“We want to reach out and let people know that help is there,” said Colleen Griffin, Fowlerville senior. “Some of these students suffer silently. We want to help and support them.”

The vigil is open to the public.

The women’s track team’s walk-a-thon is in honor of Kaelyn Carson, a previous member of the team who died from anorexia.

The walk-a-thon takes place in the Jack Skoog Indoor Track in the athletics facility from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday.

“These disorders are a big concern – I don’t think people know how big a deal this can be,” said Jackie Rivard, Ubly sophomore.

The walk-a-thon also is open to the public. The team will take donations and offer free food.

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