There are many organizations on campus, but not all of them have a specific cause they support.

One that does is the Pinky Swear Ambassadors on College Campuses to Help Kids with Cancer (PACK), a program that was founded in 2020 and reached UW Oshkosh in 2021.

The Pinky Swear PACK is a club that works to help children with cancer and their families by providing financial and emotional support.

Aly Boettcher, a senior and the club’s president, joined the club after a similar club was disbanded due to coronavirus.

“I was previously a member of the Love Your Melon (LYM) club on campus, but with COVID-19, they decided not to work with smaller campuses anymore,” Boettcher said. “I still had a strong desire to help children with cancer so I reached out to our former UWO LYM president and she told me about Pinky Swear.”

Along with the important cause this club supports, Boettcher said she also joined because it relates to her future career plans.

“I am a senior nursing major and I hope to pursue a career in pediatric oncology. This club is my first independent step into the field,” Boettcher said.

Boettcher’s goal with the club is to spread awareness of the importance of the Pinky Swear PACK and its cause.

“My main goal is raising awareness for childhood cancer, but to also to create an opportunity for the UWO campus to get involved and help, even if they are not part of the club, through events that we host,” Boettcher said.

The goal of the club is also related to Boettcher’s favorite part about being in the club itself.

“I love being able to have an impact on the childhood cancer society and raise awareness in our community,” Boettcher said. “I also love seeing how interested people are in helping this cause.”

The club hosts a variety of different fundraisers and currently has 13 active members, plus a few more who volunteer.
“Last semester we did a paint night called Cancer is Messy and raised $258,” Boettcher said. “We also did a Venmo board fundraiser which raised over $300.”

One of their bigger events this semester was a walk for childhood cancer with the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation on April 3.

The club can be found on Instagram at @pspack_uwo and is open to all UWO students.