Campaign on target to double fundraising goal

Pink shirts, pink scarves and even pink bandanas could be seen throughout the room at the Sanford Lab All-Hands meeting this October. There was pink lemonade and frosted pink cookies as employees entered the room. Even pink napkins sat on the table.

It’s a lovely color, but the reason for its presence that day was ushered forward when Larry Jaudon, director of the Environment, Safety and Health Department, asked the gathering, “Do you personally know a family member or friend who has been diagnosed with breast cancer?”

Hands rose across the room. Somber faces looked around, realizing that nearly everyone present had been personally affected by this rampant form of cancer.

“Wearing the color pink is an international symbol of support,” said Jaudon. “Seeing how prevalent this disease is, we realize that to not do anything is not acceptable.”

In addition to encouraging awareness at the All-Hands meeting, the ESH team has hosted Pink Fridays, encouraging employees to wear pink each Friday of October and has bought silicone bracelets and pink ribbon stickers for employees. They are also in the process of creating an “in memory of” memorial. This memorial is an array of pink flags, each bearing the name of a loved one who has struggled with breast cancer. Finally, the team has put on a fundraiser to help those in our area who are battling this disease.

“There are a number of organizations out there that are doing great things,” said Jaudon. “We chose to donate our funds to Foundation for Health because they’re local and because we admire the way they are spending their money.”

“We call it our ‘pink bubble,’” said Laurie Wince, director of the Foundation for Health. “All funds raised in the name of breast cancer go directly to helping those patients specifically. The cost of running the campaign is paid by our operations funds. No employee salaries or fees to national organizations come out of the money raised."

The Foundation’s pink bubble bridges daily living costs for breast cancer patients that aren’t addressed by medical insurance. These include transportation to and from treatments, travel and lodging for the patient and their families, and lymphedema compression sleeves. 

As of Monday evening, the Sanford Lab campaign has raised $956.00 for Foundation for Health. With an original goal of $500, we are on track to double our target dollar amount. This fundraiser closes on Wednesday, October 31. After that day, we will announce our final tally and encourage people to continue giving directly to this local organization. Follow the link to donate to Sanford Lab's fundraiser: https://form.jotform.com/82844853193971