LAMAR COUNTY, Miss.—A breast cancer awareness event in Purvis will bring survivors, community organizations and residents together Oct. 11 to share personal experiences and information about the disease. 

Future Leaders of Tomorrow will host its fourth annual Knock Out Breast Cancer Awareness event from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Purvis Community Center. 

Ken Wayne, an organizer with Future Leaders of Tomorrow, said the group started the event after seeing how breast cancer has affected people throughout the community. 

“We all just have lost somebody or know somebody that’s lost somebody to breast cancer,” he  said. “It’s a sensitive subject for a lot of people in the community.” 

Wayne said bringing the event to Lamar County is part of the organization’s broader focus on serving its own community.

“It’s just home at this point,” Wayne said. “Lamar County for us is home., so … we’re trying to base a lot of focus on our communities.” 

Attendees can hear from breast cancer survivors and others with experience or knowledge of the disease. The event will also include food, vendors and informational materials about breast cancer. 

This year, Future Leaders of Tomorrow is partnering with Roof Above Resilience, another nonprofit serving the community. Wayne said the partnership, along with growing support for the event, led organizers to move to the Purvis Community Center in anticipation of a larger turnout. 

“We actually are expecting such a huge turnout that we have to change locations,” Wayne said. “So, I think we’re trending in the right direction.” 

Future Leaders of Tomorrow organizes community service projects ranging from assisting elderly residents and neighborhood cleanups to back-to-school efforts for children. 

Wayne said the goal of the Oct. 11 event is for residents to leave with a better understanding of breast cancer and what signs to look for. 

“Over and over, just to be made aware,” Wayne said. “That’s so important, just to be aware and know the signs to look for.” 

Additional information is available on the Knock Out Breast Cancer Awareness event’s Facebook page. 

This article first appeared on RHCJC and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Aiden Le, a native of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, is a senior at Sacred Heart Catholic High School. Aiden wants to help influence social impact through explorations in media and writing. Aiden is a reporter for the RHCJC’s Southeast Mississippi Planner.

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