Paint It Pink raises $4,600 for local women
by St. John’s Lutheran Hospital
November 18, 2010
The residents and businesses of Libby and Troy Montana have once again reached into their pocketbooks to show that they care about the health of the women in our communities. The 4th annual month-long Paint It Pink event raised $4,600 to provide mammograms for the uninsured women of South Lincoln County.
Paint It Pink, a series of events and fundraisers sponsored by St. John’s Lutheran Hospital and Glacier Bank, was developed to raise funds to provide area women with mammograms, as well as to provide educational opportunities to learn more about Early Detection and Breast Health Awareness. "We want to make sure that our communities have the resources they need for the early detection and treatment of breast cancer," stated KC Hoyer, Marketing Manager at St. John’s. "We may not be able to prevent this disease, but we can do our part to promote the early detection of it. Mammograms can be lifesavers when it comes to breast cancer. Making these tests available to women, who might put them off because they can’t afford them, is one giant step in breast health awareness for our communities. We had a great turnout again this year, and I know that our community will continue to support and contribute to this wonderful cause."
Annually during the month of October, St. John’s and Glacier Bank provide a variety of fundraising and educational opportunities for community members. From fun runs to workshops, to the annual Breast Health Awareness Dessert, each week offers an opportunity to learn and to be a part of the cause. On the last Friday of October, the community celebrates the close of the fundraiser by painting the towns of Libby and Troy Pink for the Big Pink Blast Event.
This year on the last Friday of October, pink balloons lined Mineral Avenue, and everywhere you turned you saw someone dressed in pink, and businesses who decked out their store fronts in pink. And it wasn’t just women who went above and beyond this year; the employees of J.B.’s Les Schwab all wore their pink shirts to support the cause. And for the first time, Big Sky Lumber sported pink shirts claiming "real men wear pink".
"The purpose of the fundraiser is to educate and to save lives," added Hoyer. "Since the program began, we have provided 65 area women with mammograms and expanded our reach from women who require first time baseline mammograms to screening and diagnostic mammograms for uninsured as well as under insured women. A number of the mammograms that the program provided have revealed questionable findings, the majority of which were in women ages 30-50. So, at the end of the day, our community wide efforts are rewarded by the lives we save. Our communities truly do ‘take care of their own".
Again this year, Northwest Imaging and St. John’s Lutheran Hospital will discount the cost of Paint It Pink mammograms, so the dollars raised can reach more women. Women must be examined and referred by their healthcare provider to qualify. For more information about the Paint It Pink Free Mammography Program, contact your healthcare provider or call KC Hoyer at 406-293-0106.
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