Contributed by Pam Shadle

When you think of the month of October in Beaufort County, it is easy to think PINK! Breast cancer awareness initiatives are abundant with free breast screenings, educational opportunities as well as a variety of fundraisers to support cancer patients and their families. It’s very easy for lots of people in our community to get in on the action.

Four different fundraisers, all raising money for the Shepard Cancer Foundation, each driven by a different motivation and passion for doing what they do: from honoring the life and legacy of a loved one who fought a hard battle with breast cancer, to spreading awareness of early detection and giving others a means in which to support local cancer patients, to honoring current cancer patients who they watch each day push through their cancer journey with an amazing strength and determination. Darleen’s Flamingo 5K, Paint the Town Pink, Ride for the Ribbon and BoCo Strong collectively raised more than $40,000 in 2017 to support your family, friends and neighbors who are fighting cancer right here in Beaufort County.

The Darleen’s Flamingo, in its eighth year, takes place in the quaint waterfront community of Smithton, near Belhaven, and honors the life of a wife, mother, sister and friend — Darleen Smith. The community is a sea of pink with ribbons and bows and yards full of pink flamingos, Darleen’s favorite. With more than 75 sponsors, 200 runners and too many volunteers to count, the Darleen’s Flamingo 5K raised $20,000 in 2017, bringing their overall total raised for the Shepard Cancer Foundation to more than $120,000.

Paint the Town Pink and Ride for the Ribbon are fundraisers organized by the staff at Eastern Radiologists in Washington and Greenville. These events provide an opportunity for the entire community — individuals as well as businesses — to get in on the action of bringing awareness to breast cancer and also to raise money for the Shepard Cancer Foundation.

Painting the town pink is a simple concept — purchase a Paint the Town Pink T-shirt and wear it on the first Friday of October — and watch a sea of pink unfold in our community. More than 1,000 T-shirts are sold each year, with many businesses allowing their employees to “dress down” by switching out business clothes and uniforms for pink T-shirts, while others get involved by giving discounts to the customers who come in their store wearing pink. What’s most amazing about all of these efforts is the benefit that it brings to local cancer patients, survivors and their caregivers — almost $88,000 has been raised for the Shepard Cancer Foundation since Paint the Town Pink began in 2009. In 2017, Paint the Town Pink raised $9,644.

Eastern Radiologists is also the organizer of another October fundraiser: Ride for the Ribbon. What started in 2007 as Ride for the Cure, Ride for the Ribbon is an eastern North Carolina-based event that supports breast cancer screenings, early detection programs and provides assistance to breast cancer patients all across our region. More than 100 sport bike and cruiser riders take to the highways of eastern North Carolina to bring awareness to the fight against breast cancer. The Shepard Cancer Foundation has benefitted greatly from these efforts with more than $47,000 being raised since 2012 to support our breast cancer patients as well as to promote early detection of breast cancer. In 2017, Ride for the Ribbon raised $8,000 for the Foundation.

BoCo Strong is the newest event that has been organized in our community to support local cancer patients and their families. Motivated by the motto that “friends don’t let friends fight cancer alone,” Fitness Unlimited and BoCo Cross Fit, along with their members, began BoCo Strong. This goal of this event is to log 1 million meters of an exercise of your choice — running, walking, rowing, biking, swimming, skiing. The cause was very personal for the Fitness Unlimited family as the gym has a group of cancer survivors who have seen the benefits of exercise, both mentally and physically. With nearly 100 participants and more than 1 million meters later, $5,000 was raised for the Shepard Cancer Foundation.

So, what does 1,000 pink T-shirts, 200 runners, 100 bikers and 100 fitness enthusiasts create? A significant impact to help improve the lives of cancer patients, survivors and caregivers in our community and to bring awareness regarding the importance of prevention and early detection of cancer — which makes a real difference!

The mission of the Shepard Cancer Foundation to financially support the Marion L. Shepard Cancer Center in its efforts to improve the mind, body and spirit of cancer patients, survivors and their caregivers and also to support the cancer center in its efforts to promote prevention, early detection and early treatment of cancer.

Pam Shadle is the director of marketing, community outreach and development at Vidant Beaufort Hospital.