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 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] |
