The Pink Trucks Are Coming
Posted by briank | Charities/Sponsorships, Mercato, Naples, Shopping Centers, SWFL News | Posted on September 15th, 2010
The Pink Heals Tour is on the move. Guardians of the Ribbon, dressed in pink fire suits, will drive pink fire trucks across the nation on a journey to raise funds and awareness for women affected by cancer.
The North Naples Professional Fire Fighters Local 2297 and North Naples Fire District are teaming up with the Pink Heals Tour to show support and welcome four pink trucks to Mercato on September 25 at 5:30pm. As the trucks make their way across the states, messages of gratitude, hope and love are written on the trucks at each stop.
Spearheading the local effort, Battalion Chief Dave Bellamy is encouraged by local support. “We do some kind of fundraising every year. When I heard about what was happening with the Guardians, I knew I wanted to be involved,” said Bellamy. “It’s our first time and the response has been overwhelming from everyone—merchants at Mercato, local leaders, volunteers and medical professionals.” Proceeds from the Naples leg of the tour will benefit the Cancer Alliance of Naples and Pink Ribbon Yoga.
A day of celebration at Mercato from 5:30 to 10:00pm will include portrait painting, raffles, live entertainment, a bounce house, a dunk tank, hay ride, silent auctions and T-Shirts for sale; the major fund raising component to keep the trucks on the road. Attendees can tour the inside of the trucks and write their personal message on the outside.
The Guardians of the Ribbon is an Arizona non-profit organization consisting of firefighters, police officers and leaders in the community whose sole purpose is raising awareness for the fight against cancer.
In 2008, Glendale, Ariz., Firefighter Dave Graybill found inspiration by a fellow station’s firemen who donned pink shirts to honor the fight against breast cancer for women of Las Cruces. Graybill later had an epiphany – a pink fire truck. With no money to purchase a truck, he started out by driving around with a donated stainless steel pink ribbon on a trailer. Through a serendipitous encounter with a friend who learned of Dave’s mission, his friend’s wife wrote a check for $13,500 on the spot. Dave got his first truck on eBay sold by a firefighter in Jacksonville, Florida.
As Graybill’s pink truck rolled down the freeway, a woman starting crying out for him to pull over. He did and she was the first person to write on the truck. Although the primary mission was to raise awareness for breast cancer, women along the way reached out to gain support for other forms of cancer, and kicked off the idea for “Pink Heals Tour”.
The Guardians of the Ribbon has helped raise over $200,000 for cities across the country by bringing their pink trucks to help promote love and support. To learn more: www.pinkfiretrucks.org; www.northnaplesfire.com. To make a donation, checks are made payable to North Naples Professional Fire Fighters; include “Pink Heals” in the memo line, and mail to North Naples Professional Fire Fighters; P.O. box 112049; Naples, Florida 34108.
Mercato, a Lutgert Companies & Barron Collier Companies development, is located along US 41 north of Vanderbilt Drive. Find us on Facebook; follow us on Twitter; www.mercatoshops.com.