Paint the Paper Pink

Paint the Paper Pink goes SUPER SIZE

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[September 22, 2018]  In October 2017, Lincoln Daily News introduced a new daily feature in the top stories section. Local businesses, groups, individuals and organizations were asked to put on their pink shirts and pose for a picture that would be posted in the top stories section of LDN.

The idea came to the forefront after LDN advertising representative Roy Logan spent some time with Cindy Guyett at Collision Concepts in Lincoln. At Collision, for the past few years, staff have worn pink t-shirts each Friday in October. Owners Erv and Cindy Guyett have watched friends battle with breast cancer, and Cindy has been a part of the friends support groups offering help in any way possible. Raising awareness for breast cancer research and support for the breast cancer warriors is a cause very near and dear to the Guyett’s hearts.

Logan was really enthused by the idea of publishing pink pictures in LDN. He brought the idea back to staff and then to owners, Jim and Jan Youngquist. Everyone agreed that it was worth the effort to follow up with this and see what LDN could do to promote breast cancer awareness.

“We were inspired by the folks at Collision Concepts. We wondered if there were others who also felt led to wear pink in October, and knew of a few for certain, that we could call on to help us Paint the Paper Pink,” said Logan.

Staff anticipated a dozen or so people would take the challenge and hoped to have photos enough to run one every Friday in October. But as it turned out, that was an extremely conservative goal. Everyone who was asked if they would participate was happy to do so.

While it started off a little slow, by the middle of the month LDN had so many pictures that pink pictures expanded from one a week to one a day, and sometimes even multiple pictures in a day in order to get them all in. In addition, the daily publication of ‘Pink’ pictures overlapped into November, ending on the fourth with a picture of LDN staff.

“We were overwhelmed and overjoyed by the amount of support we got for what started out as a simple effort to show a little support to those who have fought the fight against breast cancer,” said Karen Hargis, LDN Director of Advertising.

In the end, LDN published 33 photos. Those photos included 354 people, three fur-babies, and one pink cake!

Energized and enthused by the response to the request, it led staff to wonder, “If we really get behind the cause, what we could do that will not only raise awareness, but offer real help to those who are battling breast cancer.”

The efforts with Paint the Paper Pink resulted in LDN and sister company, CCA Online, deciding that it was time to form a Relay for Life team. The Friends and Family Relay Team was started, and the team began raising funds for the American Cancer Society. The team held fundraisers, sold luminaria, and went out and asked people to donate. By Relay time in June, they had raised more than $5,000 for the American Cancer Society.

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This year, with October just around the corner, staff wondered if they could “Super-size” this project and do even more to raise awareness and raise money for breast cancer research and support.

LDN chose breast cancer awareness for a couple of reasons. Many people have experienced this disease. In 2017, every time staff went to take a photo the question was asked “Have you, or do you know someone who, has had breast cancer?” In every group hands went up and not just one or two.

In addition, LDN looked at the time of year. By October the energy generated through Relay for Life has subsided. LDN and its Relay team didn’t want that energy to wane, so how better to keep people fired up than to remind everyone that cancer is a year round disease. It interrupts lives regardless of schedules. Cancer doesn’t care if it is Thanksgiving, Christmas, your birthday, anniversary, or your daughter’s wedding. It’s going to attack on its schedule, and you don’t matter to it.

But you do matter to LDN, and as we found out last year, you matter to many, many other people in our community as well.

So, this year, LDN is doing even more to raise awareness and money for breast cancer research through the American Cancer Society starting with a new year of Paint the Paper Pink.

So, what can YOU do? Smile for the camera! This year LDN has set a goal of collecting 45 photos containing 500 people. And, we want to get started right away.

This month (September), we would like to have the opportunity to come take your picture, so that when October 1st arrives we can hit the ground running with ‘Pink’ pictures published daily in Lincoln Daily News.

Last year several groups wore matching pink shirts, but that is not required. If you look back at the LDN staff photo, all were wearing a version of pink but none of us actually “matched.” All we ask is that you give us YOUR version of Pink.

That could be a shirt, or a tie, or for example as is the case with Gail’s Pumpkin Patch of Beason, a scarf.

So, we ask you to consider being a part this year, talk about it within your group, and then give us a call. LDN will send a person to take the photo. Call Karen Hargis and 217-737-7418 or Roy Logan at 217-737-7104, to set a date and time!

Of course, you are also welcome to take your own company ‘Pink’ picture and send it to us at ldneditor@lincoln dailynews.com

[Nila Smith]

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