With October named National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the community is gearing up to paint the town pink.

Friday will mark the seventh annual Paint the Town Pink initiative, which last year raised $10,500 to benefit Marion L. Shepard Cancer Center patients.

Launched in 2009, the event is headed by Eastern Radiologists to raise awareness and money.

According to Tanya Dixon, Paint the Town Pink chairperson and manager of Eastern Radiologists, the month is dedicated to educating women about breast cancer, stressing the importance of early detection through regular self-breast exams and mammograms. The event, however, is designed to raise money so local resources are available.

“Basically, when we started, it was because we knew there were a lot of charities that raise funds for breast cancer nationally, but we wanted something that would help on more of a local level and something we could see that would benefit our patients locally,” Dixon said.

Funds are raised primarily through the sale of Paint the Town Pink T-shirts. Each year, a new, unique design represents the initiative, and through the sale of the T-shirts, local victims of breast cancer have the community fighting on their behalf, Dixon said.

On Oct. 2, members of the community are encouraged to wear the T-shirts or pink clothing, and through the sea of pink around the community, a great deal of awareness is ignited. Some local businesses, called Pink Partners, join the initiative and offer a discount for patrons who wear pink the day of the event, as well as allowing employees who purchase a T-shirt to dress down a bit, Dixon said.

“It’s really community-wide,” Dixon said. “(The event as a whole) encourages the people in the community to wear pink and you realize something neat is going on. Everyone associates pink with breast cancer, and it brings awareness to the community. We are raising money for those who have already been affected by cancer, but also this needs to bring awareness to women to get their breast exams done and take care of themselves, as we are taking care of the people who’ve already been affected.”

The money is donated to the Shepard Cancer Foundation, which, in turn, is used to fund educational programs, outreach missions and patients services at the Marion L. Shepard Cancer Center. Whether money is used to help a patient pay a bill they cannot afford as a result of their illness, aid a patient with transportation to and from an appointment or in the form of a complimentary therapy offered by the center, patients benefit tremendously by the money raised through the event that turns Washington, and the surrounding area, pink.

“We have people start asking us usually by early summer about Paint the Town Pink and when the T-shirts will be ready,” Dixon said. “So that’s in their mind. As long as we can keep the pink their mind, and it’s something they need to take care of, we’ve done what we need to do.”

Paint the Town Pink T-shirts are available for $12 at Eastern Radiologists in Washington, Vidant Beaufort Hospital Gift Shop, Vidant Wellness Center and the Marion L. Shepard Cancer Center. For more information, contact Tanya Dixon at Eastern Radiologists at 252-752-5000.