A swimsuit calendar of girls from various campuses sounds like the cousin of Sports Illustrated. But unlike the latter, the profits from the “Campus Girls USA” calendars go towards a good cause: breast cancer research.

Trevor Debth’s path to starting this charitable project was not a straightforward one, though. Having taught himself the art of photography and editing, he decided to do some traveling in Europe. That’s where he eventually had an epiphany.

“I was sailing in Croatia, talking to the captain” Debth recalls. “The captain asked me about my travels in the U.S., and I said that I hadn’t really explored the states. He found that funny that I would travel elsewhere without first seeing my own country.”

Debth returned to the states and decided to combine his love of travel and photography with charity. From there, “Campus Girls USA” came to fruition.

At first, the project was small. Having grown up in Iowa, Debth decided to have a calendar for the University of Iowa.

“I talked to a lot of girls that first year,” states Debth. “I asked them what charities they wanted to donate to, [and] the majority of them have had their lives affected by breast cancer somehow.”

After conducting plenty of research, Debth chose the Breast Cancer Research Foundation to donate to. Knowing family members or friends who have suffered from breast cancer also makes the project that much more important to the models who posed for the calendar.

In its second year, “Campus Girls USA” expanded to nine schools. This year, Debth is outdoing himself by going nationwide to 65 different schools. Also, instead of individual school calendars, he plans on making conference calendars for each of the big conferences, including the Pac-10 Conference of Champions.

However, unlike bigger organizations with plenty of staff, Debth and his small staff work hours upon end to make sure “Campus Girls USA” becomes a reality.

“There’s a massive amount of work,” says Debth. “There are five people working on something that 20 people should be working on. We had to test shoot 500 girls in 55 days.”

Despite the workload, Debth remains undeterred; he even wants to add more of the smaller conferences next year. So, unlike the next swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated, “Campus Girls USA” will not only go to a good cause, but will be a work of passion and dedication.

Pick up your copy this August at www.campusgirlsusa.com.