GREENSBURG — The Decatur County Hospital Foundation has proclaimed Oct. 26 as Decatur County’s official PINK OUT! Day.
What started as a simple fundraiser has turned into something Decatur County Hospital Foundation Executive Director Susan Burkhart hopes will be a lasting way to memorialize the victims of breast cancer and a way to assist medical personnel in saving lives.
“On October 26, at their discretion, all employees can contribute $5 to the Pink Fund and wear something pink to voice their support,” Burkhart said.
Oct. 19 is National Mammography Day, and even though the local PINK OUT! Day doesn’t correspond with that observation Burkhart is thankful so many organizations in Greensburg have rallied to support “pinking out.”
“We are so blessed that Greensburg, South Decatur and North Decatur girls volleyball had pink outs, and that the seventh and eighth grade football teams did, too. So I just wondered, ‘Why can’t the whole town get behind this?’” she said.
Formerly supported by the Susan G. Komen Foundation, DCMH needed to find a way to support women who couldn’t afford mammograms. So, according to Burkhart, radiologist Carol Blasdel came up with the idea of the Pink Ribbon Fund.
“We really needed to find a way to help women pay for their mammograms, so we took Carol’s idea and turned it into the Pink Ribbon Fund. The $5 donation is just an easy way that anyone can support the women whose insurance won’t pay for that examination, and mammograms are so important,” she continued.
The Pink Ribbon Fund has traditionally been supported since its inception by the “Tee Off for Tatas” golfing event.
Burkhart thanked the Greensburg Fire Department and Game Plan, whose sales of pink T-shirts have benefited the Pink Ribbon Fund. She is grateful to the organizations such as Hitachi, Aspen Place, WTRE and all of the children’s and high school groups that have supported the Pink Ribbon Fund, as well as other interested parties.
Businesses, private groups, clubs, ball teams and any other organizations interested in making a difference are urged to participate in Greensburg’s first official PINK OUT! Day.
Donors will be recognized on Facebook and at the DCMH annual meeting, and are urged to share their pictures on social media with the hashtags #DCMHCommunityPinkOut2018, #GreensburgCommunityPinkOut2018, or #DecaturCountyPinkOut2018.
All donations to the Pink Ribbon Fund stay in the community and are used to assist uninsured and under-insured women pay for mammograms.
Contact Bill Rethlake at 812-663-3111, ext. 7011 or email bill.rethlake@greensburgdailynews.com