The staff at the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s health and wellness facility are celebrating National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October with a week’s worth of activities meant to educate, pamper, focus on healthy living, and celebrate life. Gentile Hall’s 2nd Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Week will be held from Monday, Oct. 7 to Wednesday, Oct. 9, with a different event each evening. All events are free and campus and community members of all ages are invited to attend.

The week’s activities are being led by Keli Marston, UMPI’s Fitness and Wellness Coordinator, and Amanda Baker, UMPI’s Recreation Programs Coordinator. The two had previously held this celebration as a way to join the community in celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness Month and will be doing so again this year.

“We wanted this space, which is dedicated to health and wellness, to be a place for women of all ages to gather, share their stories, and support each other,” Marston said. “Our Breast Cancer Awareness Week activities are wonderful opportunities to learn, celebrate, be active, and even have some fun. We hope mothers, daughters, grandmothers, friends – everyone – will join us for our week-long event.”

Activities begin on Monday, Oct. 7. Marston and Baker will host an evening of pampering with an Expo Night from 6 to 9 p.m. Local businesses will be offering everything from manicures to chair massages. There will be swag bag giveaways to the first 50 participants and more than a dozen local vendors will have tables at the event. During the evening, organizers will raffle off a decadent cheesecake as well as a getaway package that includes one night’s stay at the Hampton Inn in Presque Isle.

The Educational Night and Candlelight Vigil will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 8, from 6 to 9 p.m. The evening will include a presentation by Linda Mastro, Director of UMPI’s Health Center, about early detection, as well as a presentation by a motivational speaker. The evening will end with a candlelight vigil walk.

Wednesday, Oct. 9 serves as Women’s Fit Night from 5 to 8 p.m. Marston and Baker will provide a focus on healthy living and taking proper care of your body. There will be Zumba, fit camp, rock climbing and the pool will be open for a water aerobics session.

“This is going to be an inspiring evening and an excellent opportunity for all of us to gather together in solidarity with those who have been impacted by breast cancer,” Baker said. “It will also be a lovely culmination to the week’s activities, which really are all about the same thing – celebrating life.”

For more information about Gentile Hall’s Breast Cancer Awareness Week, contact Marston at 207-768-9773 or Baker at 207-768-9401.