Supporters of the annual Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure, including six-year-old Addison, kicked off the annual Paint Canada Pink Week awareness campaign with a Strawberry Social, at Wonderland Gardens, on Sunday (June 24). Contributed Photo
Supporters of the annual Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure are making sure London residents are thinking pink this week.
Organizers of the local run — set this year for Sunday, Sept. 30 — are once again celebrating the run with Paint Canada Pink Week, which is running until Saturday (June 30). The week kicked off on Sunday (June 24) with the second annual Survivor Strawberry Social, at Wonderland Gardens, and continues through until Sunday with the Paint it Pink contest.
“It is a celebration that marks the 100 days left until the run,” Katherine McIntyre, co-media co-ordinator along with Emileigh Laidlaw.
“It is basically a week jam-packed with events to raise awareness of breast cancer,” McIntyre said. “It isn’t about fundraising, it is a celebration around raising awareness. Which is why we thought it would be so suitable to start with a strawberry social aimed just at breast cancer survivors.”
The social, McIntyre said, was a fun day for family and friends of breast cancer survivors to share their stories and make new friends. The event, which also featured a strawberry bake off, saw 15 survivors turn out, including one woman, Norma Welsch, who has been cancer free for 25 years.
During the social, the London run committee also took the opportunity to have the annual human pink ribbon photographed. Created with the assistance of the London Fire Department, the ribbon was made up of approximately 72 eager volunteers.
Running during the entire Paint Canada Pink Week is the Paint it Pink contest. The contest, McIntyre said, involves various businesses from across London getting together to “pink-up” their businesses. That effort could include decorating storefronts or interiors, adding a pink item to the menu, or adding a pink drink to their menu.
“Last year, for example, The Works painted the entire front of their business pink. Yo Yo’s came in second, they had their interior quite pinked up,” McIntyre said. “We are hoping to have the same number this year, if not more. We aren’t sure what the number is yet, but people are really excited. Especially with the Richmond Row Association, they are really onboard. As well, companies in Wortley Village. Those are two areas that are really getting involved. It is great to see London getting involved that way.”
McIntyre said the Paint Canada Week is designed to get local businesses supporting the run and the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. “We are trying to keep raising that awareness about breast cancer and get people thinking about it in advance of the run so in September they aren’t hit with an overload of pink, they have been thinking about it for a while.”
Run for the Cure, McIntyre said, is a huge event, not just in London, but also across Canada. In fact, it has been recognized as the single largest volunteer-led event in Canada.
Last year there were 170,000 participants across Canada who raised approximately $30 million. London participants and supporters fell short of raising $1 million last year, but McIntyre said that remains the goal for this year.
So far, registered online donations are at approximately $15,000.
