FREE ACCESS: Pinktober break cancer walk is Saturday

The Pinktober Saturday Walk will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at McLane Park, with proceeds providing mammograms, preventative screenings and more for cancer patients.

The charity walk promotes breast cancer awareness and is sponsored by the Alpha Delta Nu nursing honor society at Three Rivers College.

Society president Kaicie M. Spencer said, “Every year we do something different and decide how we’re going to serve the community. This year we decided to do a breast cancer walk and we are calling it Pinktober.”

The breast cancer walk was Spencer’s idea, “Because some of us have family members, or they know somebody who has had breast cancer. The walk is something different than what you’ve done in the past.”

Spencer lost her grandmother Virginia French to breast cancer. The late French beat breast cancer twice but, according to Spencer, “By the third time her body just had enough.”

All proceeds will go to Pink Up™ founded by Saint Francis to assist with mammograms, preventative screenings and more. Many in the region cannot afford cancer screenings and the Pink Up™ program is designed to prevent cost from preventing women’s access to care and treatment.

The group is raising fund through donations and sales.

“There’s 19 of us, so all of us are asking for donations, and we’re getting proceeds from the T-shirts and the day of the event we will be selling cups and key chains,” Spencer said.

Anyone wanting to participate in the event may email Spencer or show up at McLane Park Saturday. Spencer said anyone wanting a T-shirt should email her before the event since there are a limited number. The shirts will cost either $20 or $22 depending on the size.

Spencer’s email is kspencer1563@mymail.trcc.edu.