Pikeville painted pink for breast cancer
0Written by Hilary Johnson
Saturday, Sept. 20 the Pikeville community came together for the annual Paint Pikeville Pink 5K, in an effort to raise money to find a cure for breast cancer. More than 100 participants painted downtown Pikeville in pink attire, along with pink decorations on homes and businesses. Fighters, family members, and survivors ran and walked to show their support. UPIKE students, such as Kayla Mahon, Devin Clevinger, and Barbara Wright, also participated in the event to show their gratitude, to name a few of the many. Each of the students walked to raise awareness for different reasons.
“This was my first year participating in Paint Pikeville Pink. It was such a wonderful experience! Since the education program requires you to have a leadership project, what better way than to get together with my fellow teachers at Valley Elementary School to walk together and benefit breast cancer? It was so much fun! What made the experience that much sweeter was participating in the business decoration contest and decorating Bank 253. We actually won the competition! It was just a good feeling, knowing that we were able to participate in raising awareness throughout the community,” said Mahon, majoring in UPIKE’s elementary education program.
Paint Pikeville Pink 5K is a city-wide fund raising event for the Susan G. Koman Foundation. It’s a way for local residents and businesses to raise awareness about breast cancer and funding for a nonprofit organization that helps cancer patients. Awards were given to contestants in each age division, as well as participants that decorated their homes and businesses with a pink theme.
“Paint Pikeville Pink was such an amazing event to be a part of. Fortunately my family has not been affected by breast cancer; however, it has been by many other cancers, and any race I can run in to help raise awareness for any type of cancer truly is an honor,” said Clevinger. Clevinger placed second in his age division in the race on Saturday, beating his time of 21 minutes and 39 seconds.
Overall, the event was once again a major success. Aside from raising money for the breast cancer awareness foundation, the community also got to come together and have fun doing so. First-time participant and freshman UPIKE student, Wright, said, “I had a great time. It was fun seeing so many people I knew, and I loved doing it because it was for a great cause!”