Alpha Epsilon Pi and Hillel hosted a “Cookies for Cancer” booth on Wednesday to raise money for Sharsheret, a nonprofit organization that supports Jewish women battling breast cancer.

AEPi and Hillel raised $389.51, Aaron Carpenter, junior cellular molecular biology and psychology double major, the Vice President of AEPi and the Tikkun Olam chair of Hillel, said.

“This is our first year doing this event,” Annette Waters, vice president of Hillel and junior history education major, said in an email. “We are already making plans and generating ideas to grow and raise more for next year.”

In the past, AEPi and Hillel have worked together to plan a blood drive, but this is the first year they have hosted an event together, Waters said. They hope to make Cookies for Cancer a tradition.

The mission of Sharsheret is to offer support to women of all Jewish backgrounds who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, or are at an increased genetic risk according to the Facebook page for the event.

“Breast cancer is more present in Ashkenazi Jews because of a gene mutation, but a lot of people don’t have access to screenings for those mutations, pay for treatment, or a lot of things associated with having cancer,” Carpenter said. “The goal of this is to raise money for this organization so that we can help people with breast cancer.”

Waters said she hoped all the carnations, cookies and donuts would be purchased.

“We want to raise awareness of Sharsheret and breast cancer in the Jewish community,” Waters said. “We also want to try to get Hillel and AEPi’s name more out there, that way we can grow as an organization and as a Jewish community and become more of a presence on campus.”

Story Anna Muckenfuss