Warren County Technical School students want to raise awareness about lung cancer, and raise funds to boost the survival rate of those with the disease.

On Saturday June 3 on the Warren Tech campus on Route 57 in Franklin Township, the Key Club will host a 5k Walk/Run intended to bring more attention to a disease that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves.

The survival rate currently is very low at a mere 17 percent. Free to Breathe, a national nonprofit lung cancer research and advocacy organization, hopes to double the survival rate by 2020 with Warren Tech’s help.

The event includes a welcome rally and an optional 5k walk/run that winds around a picturesque course at the school. In addition, the day will include prizes, a DJ, and other special activities. The event begins at 10 a.m. with registration, the Rally at 11 and the Walk/Run at 11:30.

“This is a great day of fun for a serious cause,” said Warren Tech Key Club Faculty Advisor Patti Seugling, who is helping to coordinate the event with her Key Club students. “You can get lung cancer in multiple ways, whether you are a smoker or not.”

The current survival rate for lung cancer on any kind is a mere 17 percent, compared to 89 percent for breast cancer and 99 percent for prostate cancer, yet it is among the least funded.

In photo:  Warren Tech students show off lung cancer fundraiser flyers: In back, Richard Cruz, Kaitlyn Reinbold, Victoria Siedt, Alex Siedt, Jasmeen Wilson, and Kyra DeMouth; in front, Hannah Whitmore, Julia Soares, and Caelin McDonnell.

To register for the event as an individual or as a team, go to  freetobreathe.org/wctswalk. The Warren Tech Key Club is also seeking sponsors and prize donations. Please contact Patti Seugling at Warren Tech for more information, by email seuglingp@wctech.org, or phone, 908-689-0122.

Free to Breathe is a partnership of lung cancer survivors, advocates, researchers, healthcare professionals and industry leaders who are united in the belief that every person with lung cancer deserves a cure. The organization focuses on accelerating research, helping patients understand treatment options and ensuring patients benefit from innovative therapies that save lives. To learn more visit www.freetobreathe.org.