Think Pink Monroe Raises Funds, Awareness To Battle Breast Cancer

MONROE, CT — October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and as it does every year, Monroe will be painting the town pink.

The festivities will kick off on Oct. 1 with Think Pink Palooza on the Monroe Town Hall Green, from noon to 3 p.m. The family-friendly event will feature activities for kids' games, face painting, pumpkin painting, rock painting and a cornhole tournament, and will feature treats like kettle corn, Addeo's Italian ice, and cotton candy. The Masuk High School band, orchestra and chorus will be on hand for musical entertainment.

The events and all the month's awareness initiatives are the brainchildren of Think Pink Monroe, a non-profit organization founded by Monroe resident and cancer survivor Bonnie Maur.

"It was meant as a gesture of love to the town that gave so much to me and to my family," Maur told Patch.

When Maur, a schoolteacher, learned she had breast cancer 18 years ago, the entire town took her under its wing, she explained.

"When I was first diagnosed, the parents in the town said, 'No thanks necessary, and we're not telling you who's doing it, but we're leaving a cooler on your front doorstep. And every day, there'll be a meal for you and your family.' And the teachers collected money and paid to have my house cleaned while I was going through my treatments. How do you ever repay that?"

If you're Maur, you give back by raising funds and awareness regarding breast cancer. Last year, Think Pink Monroe became its own 501(c)(3) to ensure that all the funds raised would stay in town for other Monroe families impacted by the disease.

Think Pink Palooza is just the appetizer. Other courses to be served up throughout October include a "light-up" at a Masuk home football game, special deals sponsored by Monroe restaurants, a display of luminarias in honor of local cancer victims, and more celebrations in support of the survivors.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States, except for skin cancers, according to Cancer.org. It represents about 30 percent of all new female cancers each year. In recent years, incidence rates have increased by 0.5 percent per year.