From the White House to the Battleship New Jersey, landmarks and buildings coast to coast illuminated in pink lights as call to action for women to get regular screenings
DALLAS – October 7, 2011 – Historic landmarks, office buildings, sculptures, fountains, even a battleship are glowing pink this October for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, thanks to the efforts of local Affiliates of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, the world’s largest breast cancer organization. The effect is meant to be serious, not just pretty, as iconic landmarks shine a light on Komen's effort to motivate Americans to encourage the women they love to take action against breast cancer by getting screened.
Susan G. Komen Affiliates are taking that message directly to their communities since, despite three decades of progress, a recent nationwide study of 1.5 million women over 40 with insurance revealed that fewer than 50 percent received regular mammograms. Breast cancer –the most commonly diagnosed cancer and leading cancer killer of women worldwide – hits close to home, with more than 200,000 cases expected in the U.S. this year. Some 40,000 women will die of the disease. Regular screening coupled with early treatment could have a dramatic impact on reducing that number in the future, as survival rates have been shown to improve significantly the earlier breast cancer is detected and treated. [To learn more, visit http://www.komen.org/MoreAction.]
Komen and its Affiliates partner with more than 1,900 organizations nationwide and provided more than 700,000 breast screenings last year, primarily for low-income and uninsured women, as part of a $93 million investment into community health and education programs. At the same time, Komen has invested more than $685 million to breast cancer research, focusing now on more sensitive and cost-effective screening methodologies, as well as treatments for metastatic and aggressive disease and scientifically sound prevention strategies.
“We’re very grateful for the governments and building owners who take this opportunity every year to show their support by lighting these landmarks in pink,” said Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker, founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®. “These are visual reminders to women to be aware of breast cancer and take action against it by scheduling a screening or otherwise getting involved in the breast cancer movement.”
Among the cities shining a pink light on the critical need for regular screening are:
- Washington, DC – The White House and One Observatory Circle were lit pink on the evening of Oct. 3 to kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month, reaffirming the country’s commitment to fighting breast cancer and emphasizing the importance of prevention and early detection.
- Ontario, Canada -- The NFL’s Buffalo Bills and the Western New York Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure will be lighting Niagara Falls pink on Fri., Oct. 7, as part of the Buffalo Bills Billieve program. A host of Bills players, including Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, will be on hand to greet fans and sign autographs at Edgewater’s Tap and Grill in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, prior to the lighting ceremony. The Bills’ web site also goes pink, and breast cancer survivors will be honored in a pre-game program at the Bills vs. the Philadelphia Eagles game on Sun., Oct. 9.
- Philadelphia – Lights for the Cure, a campaign by KYW-TV and the Susan G. Komen Philadelphia Affiliate, turn the skyline pink at sunset for the tenth year in a row. The Cira Center will display a six-story pink ribbon on the north and south sides of the building and, for the first time, the Battleship New Jersey joins the roster of more than 100 buildings and landmarks structures “going pink.”
- Greenville, SC – Fountains at Falls Park on the Reedy, a 32-acre park in the historic West End district, as well as other fountains around the city dance with pink water and are bathed in pink lights in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
- Seattle – CenturyLink Field, home of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders Football Club, will sport pink lights Wednesdays and Thursdays each week in October to remind fans to urge women in their lives to get screened regularly.
- Cincinnati – The Kroger headquarters building is illuminated with pink spotlights and decorated with 150-foot banners for the 11th Anniversary of Kroger and Yoplait’s partnership supporting the fight against breast cancer. To honor that, Yoplait and Kroger are urging Facebook fans to “Like” http://www.Facebook.com/sharingcourage, where Yoplait will donate one dollar for each new fan (up to $150,000) through Oct. 31 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure®. The signage also includes the world’s largest QR code, which directs smartphone users to share the Facebook page with their friends, donate their status or make a unique donation through the site.
- Dallas – The lights switch to pink and two large banners hang on the front side of Dallas City Hall signifying Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In solidarity, the Design District at Lower Oak Lawn, the Shops at Park Lane, and all fire stations in the City of Dallas will be lit in pink and firefighters will wear pink t-shirts the week of the 29th Annual Susan G. Komen Dallas Race for the Cure® scheduled for Fri., Oct. 14, at NorthPark Center.
- Las Vegas -- The all new Tropicana Las Vegas has partnered with Susan G. Komen Southern Nevada to launch “Pink October,” its first-ever breast cancer awareness campaign. The pink glow remains through the month of October on the building and on the web site as "Trop Goes Pink!" with special room packages, meal deals and events.
- Atlantic City, NJ – On Oct. 7, in partnership with the Central and South Jersey Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall joins Bally's, the Borgata, Caesars, Harrah's, Showboat, Tropicana and Trump Plaza to flip the switch on a panorama of pink lights in an effort to encourage women to get regular screenings.
- Lehigh Valley, PA -- The 285-foot-tall Bethlehem Steel Blast Furnaces – a 1904 historic landmark, now part of the Sands Casino Resort – are lit in pink to celebrate breast cancer survivors and to honor those who lost their battle with this disease.
- Terre Haute, IN – Mayor Duke Bennett proclaimed October “Breast Cancer Awareness Month” as the Susan G. Komen Wabash Valley Affiliate topped the Vigo County Courthouse in pink. Ketner and Sons Electric, Inc., has hung four LED-lit 8-foot by 3-foot pink ribbons which can be seen for miles in each direction. On Fri., Oct. 7, Crossroads Dragway magnifies the impact with a pink fireworks display after the Pink Ladies championship race -- a female-only NHRA race series created the Affiliate to bring attention to the importance of early detection and screening.
- San Diego – Supporters of Susan G. Komen San Diego County partied aboard a Flagship Yacht with KFMB TV 8 and JACK FM on Oct. 1 to watch the skyline “go pink.” Lights on the San Diego County Administration Building and buildings along the Harborfront will glow pink at sunset throughout Breast Cancer Awareness Month and can be seen from ships at sea.
- Miami – The lights on the Freedom Tower at Miami Dade College are shining pink as Angie Benitez, founder of the Susan G. Komen Puerto Rico Affiliate, is honored by PEOPLE en Espaňol on Oct. 11 at a luncheon in Miami celebrating the magazine’s "Las 25 Mujeres Poderosas" (“25 Most Influential Women in the Hispanic Community”).
- San Juan, Puerto Rico – A month of “pinkings” began with the lighting of the historic Fort San Felipe del Morro on Sept. 30. During October, other structures in the Commonwealth also are lighted pink, including La Fortaleza, the current official residence of the Governor of Puerto Rico; El Capitolio de Puerto Rico; Hospital Auxilio Mutuo; the Conrad San Juan Condado Plaza and other hospitals and universities. Visit http://www.komenpr.org/ for more info.
“The power of pink action is undeniable,” Brinker says. “This time of year, the celebration of what we can do if we all come together is truly powerful. We hope to inspire women everywhere to embrace this power by taking action to get screened and encouraging others to do so, too.”
