October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Canada, when communities across the country go pink. This annual campaign raises awareness of breast cancer and highlights the importance of finding it early.
Charities, municipalities, businesses, sports clubs and health-care organizations use the month to organize events that raise awareness in their communities, raise funds and support the organizations fighting the disease, from local fun runs to the national CIBC Run for the Cure.
Looking for a Breast Cancer Awareness Month activity to include in your next event? Here are 10 ideas you can adapt to your audience, your venue and your budget.
Summary
1. Create a wall of messages and support
Set up a large board where everyone can leave a message, a personal story, a drawing, or a few words for people affected by cancer or for the health-care workers who support them.
A few cards, some markers and a highly visible spot may be all you need. You could also invite attendees to hang their messages with a pink ribbon, gradually building a collective installation in the campaign’s colours.
Give attendees a simple prompt to guide them: “A word of support”, “Someone you’re thinking of” or “A reason to get involved”. This fun activity lets people show their solidarity while encouraging conversation between attendees.
At the end of the event, take a photo of the wall to keep a record of everyone’s support and share it on your social media.
2. Set up a “think pink” photo booth
A pink backdrop, a few props and good lighting may be all it takes to create this activity!
Add the name of your event, its hashtag or that of the charity you’re supporting so the photos can easily be shared on social media. You can also invite attendees to wear something pink or use one of the props provided.
Take it a step further and give the photo booth a charitable angle: set up an online registration system to collect donations for the charity your campaign supports.
This activity works particularly well at a sporting event or a workplace event, where it can help rally your teams around a shared cause while bringing colleagues closer together.
3. Run a pink ribbon craft workshop
The iconic pink ribbon can be the starting point for a workshop that’s open to everyone: making bracelets, pins, buttons or personalized tote bags.
There’s no need to plan a two-hour workshop. Go for something people can finish in a few minutes and take home with them. Every attendee then leaves with a pink keepsake that keeps the message alive after the event.
It’s a simple way to raise awareness of the cause and make a lasting impression. You could also suggest a small, symbolic donation in exchange for each creation by setting up a donation collection, a feature available when you set up your WeezTicket online registration.
4. Host an awareness quiz
True or false, multiple choice, common myths… turn awareness-raising into a short activity that attendees can take part in on their own or in teams.
For example, prepare around 10 questions on breast cancer, the signs to watch for, breast screening in your province or territory, and the most common misconceptions. For medical content, rely on trusted sources such as the Canadian Cancer Society or your provincial cancer agency, or have your questions checked by a health-care professional or a specialized charity.
The quiz can be run on stage, from a smartphone or right at a booth. Plan an explanation after each answer: the main goal is to raise awareness and help participants learn something useful.
You can wrap up with a few resources explaining where to find information and how breast screening works where you live. It’s a more interactive way to highlight the importance of finding breast cancer early without turning your event into a lecture.
Want to run several quiz sessions? With WeezTicket, our online registration solution, you can offer participants different time slots on the same day or across several days! Find out how to easily set up this feature here!
5. Spin a wheel of charity challenges
Set up a wheel that each attendee can spin to reveal a small action to complete.
The challenges can be very simple:
- take a photo with a pink prop
- answer an awareness question
- leave a message on your wall
- do 20 seconds of physical activity
- make a donation
- share a fact about Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Tailor the challenges to the theme and to your audience. This works particularly well in a space where people move around freely, as anyone can join in very quickly.
You could also offer a small token gift to attendees who complete their challenge: a button, bracelet, sticker or ribbon. The goal isn’t the reward, but to make your awareness campaign more interactive.
6. Display a live donation tracker
If your event is raising funds, make the progress visible.
Put up a screen, a board or a physical thermometer showing the amount raised and the goal to reach: for example, $2,000, $5,000 or $10,000 before the end of the event.
Watching the total climb can encourage attendees to contribute and give your fundraising a collective feel. You can also announce each milestone as it’s reached.
Above all, explain clearly who the funds will go to: a local charity, a hospital foundation, the Canadian Cancer Society, Breast Cancer Canada or another organization involved in supporting patients or funding cancer research.
If fundraising is at the heart of your campaign, take a look at our guide to organizing a charity event.
7. Create a collective fitness challenge
You don’t need to organize a full running race to bring sport into your event.
For example, set up a stationary bike, a rowing machine or a treadmill and give attendees a fitness challenge to complete together: cover 100 km, cycle for a combined total of 2 hours, or reach a set number of kilometres before the event closes.
Each person contributes a few minutes before handing over to the next. Display the progress to turn the activity into a real team challenge.
Planning a bigger sporting event, such as a fun run or a charity walk? Find out how WeezTicket can help with sporting events.
8. Hold a charity raffle
A raffle is an easy activity to fit into a day and helps support your cause.
Reach out to local shops, businesses or partners and ask them to donate a few prizes: a meal, an activity, a handmade product, a fitness class or an experience.
Attendees then buy one or more tickets, and all or part of the proceeds can go to an organization that supports people with cancer or funds research.
Announce the time of the draw as soon as attendees arrive and save the grand prize for last. In Canada, raffles count as lotteries under the Criminal Code, so you’ll usually need a licence from your province or territory (or, in some provinces, your municipality), even for a small draw. Check the rules with your provincial gaming regulator, such as the AGCO in Ontario or the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch in B.C., before you sell any tickets.
9. Set up an awareness area
A booth with nothing but pamphlets risks going unnoticed. Instead, make it a space where attendees can get involved.
You could invite a charity or a health-care professional and offer several mini-formats:
- “true or false” cards to flip over
- anonymous questions dropped into a box
- short discussion sessions
- materials explaining how breast screening works in your province or territory
- personal stories or resources for patients and their loved ones
These awareness sessions are a way to talk about breast cancer and remind people why screening and checking your breasts matter, without imposing a long talk.
10. Launch a collective “Everyone in Pink” challenge
Ask all your attendees to meet at a specific time and invite them to wear a pink piece of clothing or accessory for a big group photo.
You can announce the challenge when people register and then send several reminders during the event. The moment becomes a common thread that brings every audience together around a single action.
Make organizing your Breast Cancer Awareness Month event easier with WeezTicket
Between registrations for a charity walk, bookings for different workshops, collecting donations and welcoming attendees on the day, managing registrations can quickly become time-consuming.
Setting up an online ticketing system lets you centralize your attendees’ information and track registrations from a single tool, whether your event is free or paid.
WeezTicket offers several useful features for charities, businesses, municipalities and other organizers taking part in Breast Cancer Awareness Month:
- Free ticketing for free events: organizing a walk, an awareness workshop or an open house? Manage registrations for your event free of charge and get a clearer idea of how many people to expect.
- Online donation collection: give attendees the option of adding a donation when they register, to support the charity benefiting from your event.
- Capacity and time slot management: running several workshops, talks or activities throughout the day? Create different time slots and cap the number of spots for each one to spread attendees out more evenly.
- Custom registration forms: collect only the information you need from attendees with custom fields tailored to your event.
- Custom event mini-site: create a page bringing together your program, visuals, practical information, event description and ticketing, then simply share the link in your communications.
- WeezAccess app: on the day, your teams can scan tickets right from a smartphone with our access control app and check attendees in without paper lists.
“We regularly support charities organizing Breast Cancer Awareness Month events, especially walks and runs that can bring together lots of participants in a fairly short amount of time. In that context, one of the challenges is knowing how many people to expect and managing their arrival without unnecessary lineups.
“For this kind of event, having a ticketing system lets the organizer anticipate participant numbers and the equipment they’ll need as a result, such as bibs. Last October, we helped an organizer of a Breast Cancer Awareness Month event: adding a registration form to their ticketing quickly allowed them to adapt the route of their fun run to the overall fitness level of their participants. Without it, they might have planned a course that was too hard for the people actually interested in the event.” Clément, Customer Service at Weezevent
Key reminders about breast screening
Above all, Breast Cancer Awareness Month is the time to remind everyone why screening and getting to know your breasts matter. In Canada, breast screening programs are run by each province and territory, so the details depend on where you live.
From 40 to 74: talk about regular mammograms
In most provinces and territories, people aged 40 to 74 can book a screening mammogram through their provincial or territorial breast screening program, often without a referral. In some, the age to book on your own is still 45 or 50 for now, and how often you’re screened (usually every 1 to 2 years) depends on your age and risk. Screening is covered by your provincial or territorial health plan. If you’re over 74, talk to your health-care provider about whether to keep going.
At any age: get to know your breasts
Check your breasts regularly so you know what’s normal for you. Watch for a new lump or thickening, a change in size or shape, dimpling or redness of the skin, changes to the nipple (such as discharge, a rash or it turning inward), or a lump or swelling in your armpit. Men can get breast cancer too, so the same advice applies.
Noticed a change? Don’t wait
If you notice anything unusual, see your family doctor or nurse practitioner promptly, even if you’ve recently had a mammogram. Don’t have one? A walk-in clinic can help. Don’t wait for your next screening appointment.
Trans and non-binary people may also be eligible for screening depending on their medical history, such as hormone therapy or surgery. Your health-care provider or provincial screening program can advise.
During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, every activity can become an opportunity to get a message across. The key is to choose activities that really suit your audience: some will raise awareness, others will raise funds, or simply create a moment of solidarity in the fight against breast cancer.
A photo booth, a group challenge or a workshop can fit into very different kinds of events. It’s up to you to build your program around your budget, the time available and the cause you want to support, without trying to pack in as many activities as possible.
And so you can focus on your event, we’ll help you manage your attendees with our online registration solution to centralize attendee information, and our access control solution to make check-in smoother on the day.
FAQ
Q: What is Breast Cancer Awareness Month?
Breast Cancer Awareness Month takes place every October and is often marked by the colour pink and the pink ribbon. Throughout the month, charities, businesses, clubs and communities across Canada organize events to raise awareness of breast cancer, encourage people to check their breasts and get screened, and raise money for support services and research.
Q: Which charity should our Breast Cancer Awareness Month event support?
You can support a national charity such as the Canadian Cancer Society or Breast Cancer Canada, or a local organization such as a hospital foundation or a support group. Before you start, check that the organization is a registered charity (you can search the Canada Revenue Agency’s list of charities) and contact them: many provide fundraising toolkits, branding guidelines and awareness materials.
Q: Should a Breast Cancer Awareness Month event be free or paid?
It depends on your goals. A free event makes it easier to reach as many people as possible, which suits awareness-raising. A paid event, or one with a suggested donation, helps you raise more money. You can also combine the two: free admission with the option of adding a donation when people register.
Q: How can we collect donations at our event?
The easiest way is to let attendees add a donation when they register online, so the money is collected before the event even starts. On the day, you can add fundraising activities such as a raffle, a pledge-based challenge or a pay-what-you-can craft workshop. Whatever you choose, be clear about which charity will receive the money and share the final total afterwards.
Q: How can we share health information responsibly?
Stick to trusted sources such as the Canadian Cancer Society, your provincial cancer agency or recognized cancer charities, and avoid giving personal medical advice. Ideally, invite a charity or a health-care professional to run your awareness booth or check your quiz questions. Always encourage people with concerns to speak to their family doctor or nurse practitioner.
Q: How can we speed up entry at a charity walk or run with hundreds of participants?
For busy events, spread several volunteers across access control and equip them with a smartphone scanning tool. Tickets can then be checked simultaneously, with no paper lists or manual checks of each registration. If a ticket has already been used or is invalid, the team is alerted instantly and can keep the line moving.
Q: How can we get colleagues involved in a Breast Cancer Awareness Month event at work?
Choose short activities that fit around the workday, such as a photo booth at lunch, a step or cycling challenge between teams, a quiz or an “Everyone in Pink” day. Setting a team fundraising goal and displaying the progress also helps keep everyone motivated throughout October.
Q: Which tools are really useful for a charity team managing registrations?
An online ticketing system such as WeezTicket lets you centralize registrations, sales and revenue tracking. Access control from a smartphone then makes welcoming people on the day easier, while real-time statistics let you track how registrations are going. For a charity team, the main benefit is avoiding parallel spreadsheets and re-entering data, so you can spend more time on the content and the experience you offer.
