This October, the Cinnaminson Fire Department is painting the town pink. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the fire department will be holding its ninth annual Paint the Town Pink fundraiser.
The idea for the fundraiser started when firefighters decided to put pink stickers on the side of their helmets. The fundraiser grew in the following years after the fire department’s own Jean Dietrich became a patient at what is now Virtua. Through the Tyanna Barre O’Brien Breast Care Comfort Fund, the fire department was able to raise about $1,000 by selling T-shirts and donating various items such as wigs, transportation and even money for prescriptions to women whose insurance wouldn’t cover the costs.
The fundraiser continued to grow, but the fire department saw a substantial increase after local paramedic Becky Scott passed away from breast cancer at only 28 years old. Together with Scott’s family, the fire department raised money to support the Breast Cancer Comfort Fund and the Rebecca Scott Memorial Scholarship Fund. Last year, in year eight, the fire department raised $12,000 and split the money between both funds.
“This year we’re not giving ourselves a monetary goal,” said Cinnaminson Fire Department C Platoon Lt. Jim Clancy. “We ‘re striving for awareness. We want people to know that there are a lot of different cancers and diseases, and we support them all, but breast cancer is growing and it affects everyone.
“We’re finding that more families in our department are suffering from it, and we just want to bring awareness and come together and paint everything pink to show that we’re all in this together,” Clancy continued. “We may not have someone personally going through the fight, but we support you.”
The Cinnaminson Fire Department will be holding a series of fundraisers, with the next one coming at the Sweetwater Bar & Grill Dine & Donate event on Oct. 17 between noon and 8 p.m. The fire department will also be having raffles with prizes of Eagles tickets, a signed football, gift cards and more.
“This community is so good for coming together for a cause,” said Clancy. “We have a lot of support from the community. It’s really just a great group effort with everyone involved. This year at Cinnaminson Day, a lot of survivors stopped by the tent, and that reminds us of why we’re doing this.
“Unfortunately, we do lose some patients, but we want the families to know we support them,” Clancy continued. “The fire department is not just here when there is a fire and the pager goes off. Every emergency doesn’t have to be a 911, come to my house. We want to help you, and if we can get you that wig or ride and see the appreciation and joy in them, that’s amazing.”
For more information on the upcoming fire department events, follow the Cinnaminson Fire Department on Facebook or contact the station at (856) 829-5220.
