Whitman parent Paula Laboy and dozens of supporters told breast cancer to take a hike Oct. 9. Literally.

The Breast Cancer Fund raised almost $30,000 in the fifth annual Sugarloaf Mountain Hike. After Laboy was diagnosed with cancer in 2007, she decided to raise money for breast cancer by organizing a hike.

“I think this hike is a way to feel like you are doing something positive out of something negative,” Laboy said.

The Fund, based in San Francisco, is the leading national organization working to eliminate the environmental causes of breast cancer to prevent the disease. Board member Donna Westmoreland, Laboy’s close friend from college, decided to inform people about the causes of breast cancer.

Raising awareness about the possible environmental causes of breast cancer is one of the Fund’s goals, said Felix Laboy, Paula’s husband.

“The goal is to create awareness so that when people go out into the world, they think about what they eat and what cosmetics they use,” Felix said. “The hike is trying to create awareness so that girls can be aware of what they need to be aware of and that they are thinking about these kinds of things.”

One of the ways to raise awareness is a hike that also serves as a fundraiser. Over the past five years, the Sugarloaf Hike has raised nearly $110,000.

The positive effects of the hike extend beyond raising money and awareness. The hike also gives a good sense of camaraderie and teamwork, Paula said.

“It is a great day of coming together on a very small scale to help,” said Paula. “It is much quieter and much more personal than some of the other fundraisers.”

Over the past five years, the Fund has worked towards its goal of spreading knowledge about breast cancer. The Fund has accomplished some remarkable things in recent years by promoting breast cancer awareness, improving earlier detection and increasing the availability of quality care, according to the hike’s website.

But Paula acknowledges that, despite its success so far, the Fund has more to accomplish.

“There is always work to be done until cancer is eradicated,” Paula said. “There will always be better treatments, better drugs and more information about what causes all kinds of cancer. It has certainly come a very long way because treatment is so successful. But until it’s gone, there is still work to be done.”