Oct. 2--Terre Haute firefighters have gone pink in support of women's health, throwing out their standard blue shirts for seven days in October.
The pink T-shirt campaign began Thursday to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Vigo County.
But campaign organizer Glen Hall said the firefighters are not just supporting breast cancer awareness.
"It's about women's health in general," Hall said. "We care about all women. We care about everybody as a group."
Hall and fellow firefighter Rick Gallagher have taken on the project through union Local 758, the International Association of Fire Fighters.
They decided to sell the pink T-shirts as a fundraiser, and will split the proceeds between the Clara Fairbanks Association at Union Hospital and the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
Firefighters first donned pink on Thursday when they attended the Race for the Cure ribbon lighting ceremony at the Vigo County Courthouse. They also will wear the pink shirts Oct. 2 and 3, and Oct. 25-27, during their regular work shifts.
Friends and supporters of the effort also are encouraged to purchase the shirts (priced at $11 each).
Hall said he first got the idea for the project after attending a conference in Las Vegas last year where other firefighters were selling shirts to support women who could not afford mammograms. Since then, Hall has been in contact with an organization called Pink Heals in Phoenix. Firefighters there have painted three fire trucks pink, and travel the country in September and October to spread awareness of breast cancer issues.
The Terre Haute firefighters have been asked to participate in the ISU homecoming parade Oct. 24 walking in their pink T-shirts with cancer survivors. It is a goal for next year to have pink turnout gear for firefighters to wear in the parade.
Hall said he is fortunate that his own family has not been touched by cancer, but just a couple weeks ago, another firefighter's wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. That battalion's crew will wear their shirts on Oct. 21, one extra day in honor of her, Hall said.
The issue of women's health should be important for everyone, Hall said, because everyone has a mother. He said he thinks about his two daughters, his wife and his own mother as he has taken on this project.
"I've talked to a lot of people who have family members with cancer," he said. "It affects everyone in the whole family."
Anyone wanting to support the firefighters in their pink campaign can contact Hall by email at THFD301@yahoo.com.
Lisa Trigg can be reached at (812) 231-4254 or lisa.trigg@tribstar.com.
-----
To see more of The Tribune-Star or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.tribstar.com/.
Copyright (c) 2009, The Tribune-Star, Terre Haute, Ind.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.