Forget the pupa and larva, the butterfly of next Saturday night started with nine 20-somethings who decided it was their time to do something about breast cancer.

Most of them grew up in Chapel Hill or Durham and met as children or while in school at UNC. None have had cancer, but several have watched loved ones survive -- or die from it.

Fighting back in their own way, they have organized a nonprofit, the Breast and Ovarian Cancer Awareness Association (BOCAA) and will launch it Saturday with what they anticipate as an annual event, the Butterfly Ball at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham.

The black-tie optional party -- with heavy hors d'oeuvres (provided by Piazza and Chamas), four bands (of varying music styles), speakers, auctions, beer and wine -- begins at 7 p.m. and will run for five hours. Other sponsors are Credit Suisse, Triangle Fiesta and Budweiser.

The group seems to revolve around Kate Eron, who lost her Aunt Mary (Eron), of Greenville, two years ago to breast cancer and to whom this year's event is dedicated.

"She was my dad's only sister, and my mother's best friend for 25 years, and she was my godmother," Eron said.

Her aunt was diagnosed on Valentine's Day of 2004 and died June 2, 2005. Both of Eron's parents work at UNC Hospitals. Her father, Joseph, is a physician working with infectious diseases, and her mother, Barbara, is a bone marrow transplant nurse in the oncology department (in May Barbara will be named the 2007 Nurse of the Year for the oncology service line of UNC Health Care). Eron, 23, who took time away from studies to travel internationally, is finishing her bachelorŐs degree while working as a health unit coordinator at UNC Health Care.

"Everybody in my family tried to make something good come out of her death," said Eron, the eldest of seven children.

Her mother and a sister walked in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk for the Cure; her brothers regularly visit young cancer patients at UNC Hospitals; and Eron, a cousin and her youngest sister donated their hair to Locks of Love.

That wasn't enough for Eron, who talked about it with friends who have also seen the effects of cancer in their families.

Dan Quinones and Szymon Karwowski attended a fund-raising ball for cancer while in New Orleans last year.

"Kate thought it would be a good idea to have something similar in the Triangle area," said Karwowski, an analyst with Credit Suisse.

"The fund-raiser idea kind of clicked," Eron said. "I knew we could throw a party. We know people and we could invite friends and our parents' friends."

They initially set a goal of $50,000 but after expenses recognize that maybe that was too ambitious.

This, however, is an ambitious group. They are all either involved in careers or hold down jobs while continuing their education (or saving money to do so).

"I got involved in the organization because I knew Kate and I had knowledge and experience in setting up companies and making the necessary tax filings," said Robby Dermody, 24, who owns a software company and helped them achieve 501(c)3 status.

Tobias Butts tends bar while saving money for grad school. He used his artistic talents to design the BOCCA logo, the invitations and a flier.

Ashley Howard, a project coordinator at UNC Hospitals, seemed very comfortable with putting on such a big event during a recent weekly meeting. She encouraged her cohorts in ticket-selling, saying, ""It's a lot of fun approaching people face-to-face."

"I guess that cancer is very real to me personally," Karwowski said. "Devin's mother's experience with cancer, as well as my father's experience with cancer É and many other friendsŐ and acquaintances' parents who have had this disease." His father is a cancer survivor, as is the mother of Devin Gaskell, who has been a friend of Karwowski since both were 5.

Gaskell, 28, is an assistant store manager at A Southern Season. "My mother is a seven-year survivor of breast cancer, and numerous members of my family and my friends' families have also been touched by either breast or ovarian cancer," Gaskell said. "I think it is safe to say that it is important to raise monies for all of our mothers, aunts, grandmothers, and friends."

"It's kind of amazing we have time to spend on it," said Erik Karlsson, who besides working on his doctorate in biochemistry designed the BOCAA Web site.

"This group of young people got together and started talking," said Barbara Eron. "I thought they would just talk and not get any further. It just so happens that they stuck with it. I'm very impressed. They've been working on it, meeting weekly for over a year."

"We're giving it our best shot," Kate Eron said.