Category All Art Classes Classical Music Concerts DANCE Etc Exhibits Families Farmers Markets Film Happenings Holiday Holiday Lectures Music (non-classical) Theater

Submit events

PHOTO BY MATT NAGLE

FILLIN’ THE BOOTS. These members of the University of Puget Sound rugby team – Matt Maze, Matt Kwock and Kyle Downs – volunteered at “Puttin’ on the Pink” and collected nearly $1,000 for Tacoma’s Breast Cancer Research Center.

Proctor District gets pretty in pink

By Matt Nagle

Proctor District turned pink May 8 to make a public show of support and encouragement for women with breast cancer and those who are surviving it. Many women and a good number of men, about 300 altogether according to organizers, turned out for the first-time evening event called “Puttin’ on the Pink.”

The outing served as a fundraiser for the Breast Cancer Research Center (BCRC) in Tacoma, an independent, grassroots organization founded in 1998 by breast cancer survivors and local healthcare professionals to address the holistic needs of people affected by breast cancer or who are at risk. BCRC provides community outreach and education, assistance with mammography vouchers, customized exercise classes, support groups, literature, wigs, prostheses and a network of volunteers to help clients gather information regarding diagnosis and treatment options. Services are delivered in a warm, caring, supportive environment at no cost to clients.

Retail businesses throughout the district decorated their front windows in pink themes, everything from balloons to braziers to sponge rollers, and opened their doors for participants to shop for the cause with discounts and specials offered. Some merchants donated a percentage of their proceeds for “Puttin’ on the Pink” while others gave a flat donation, such as Chirp & Co., which gave $2,500, making it the largest donor of the event.

According to Judi Quilici, owner of Giardini Gift & Garden in Proctor District and promotions chair of the event, 100 percent of proceeds earned at “Puttin’ on the Pink” will go directly to clients of BCRC. “Nothing will be used for administrative or production costs,” she said.

Quilici said the evening went off without a hitch thanks to the Proctor District Association and the 12-woman event planning and marketing committee made up of BCRC volunteers and community leaders.

Restaurants got in on the fun as well, serving pink-inspired foods and drinks. Groups of women could be seen sitting around tables sipping rosé wines or dining and having a great time enjoying female camaraderie and general joie de vivre.

For cancer survivors, such a supportive atmosphere meant a lot. Friends Beverly Raschke, whose sister is a breast cancer survivor, Connie Wright and Becky Lister, who also is a breast cancer survivor, took a break from shopping to have a glass of wine at Pour at Four Wine Bar, just one of the two-dozen participating retailers for the event. Lister praised BCRC and its supportive staff. “I don’t think I could have gotten through it without them” she said. “Doctors can tell you a lot of things, but they can’t help with emotional support.”

Mark and Susan Merrill are owners of Pour at Four. He said the event was great for Proctor District and everyone who came out to take part. “Our family has been touched by breast cancer on several fronts,” he said. “This is a way to have fun and support a good cause. It’s a win/win package.”

Starting at about 5 p.m., women started gathering at a check-in table in front of Giardini Gift & Garden to pick up their goody bags that were stuffed with gifts from participating merchants including the flashing pink ribbon necklace that flagged the wearer as a registered participant for discounts, specials and treats.  There was a fashion show featuring products from Proctor shops and a raffle including big-ticket items such as a one-week stay at a condo in Sedona, Ariz.

Groups of men showed up to help out by collecting donations from passers-by strolling the district. Three members of the University of Puget Sound rugby team – Matt Maze, Matt Kwock and Kyle Downs – carried pink boots they sought to fill with contributions, which raised $950.

For more information on BCRC, visit www.bcrcwa.org or call (253) 252-4222.

Story Tools