The Paint Saskatchewan Pink Story

 

Cancer does many things. If there is a positive, one of the most important is it brings people together to fight the disease. Nowhere was that more evident than at the BHP Jansen Project site near Leroy, Sk.

In October, contractors and staff brought back their Paint Saskatchewan Pink (PSP) event. The month-long fundraiser was in support of breast cancer research in Saskatchewan.

“We do a large fundraiser for Movember that is huge on-site,” says Lou-anne Stefankiw, PSP co-organizer. “The Paint Sask Pink event had been held in the past, and it looked really cool. It was time to bring it back.”

Eleven companies that work on-site took part. There were events and challenges all month long, including information sessions from the Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan. It all culminated with a fun walk at the mine.

“I think there is still enough people on-site that had sentimentality to the old Paint Saskatchewan Pink and that really excited people to bring it back,” explained Sherri Piprell, PSP co-organizer.

To get people in the spirit of the event, pink was evident everywhere. A cement truck was decked out, and cross-walks on the site were also painted pink. It all added to the atmosphere of the event and pulling people together.

“COVID has been really challenging mentally. Having something to focus on other than what we’ve been talking about every day, it was really nice,” said Lou-anne.

“One of our quality gals challenged everyone to beat her donation by at least one dollar. Sure enough, checking my email the next day, the donations were coming in, at least one dollar higher than hers,” explains Sherri.

The event was an incredible success. With COVID, organizers had no idea how people would respond. When it was all said and done, they had raised over $25,000. Something that was perhaps even more impactful than the final total, was how poeple shared their own experiences with cancer.

“They told me about what happened when they got diagnosed, or what they did for treatment. Hearing those stories made the drive to see the event succeed even stronger,” said Lou-anne.

Once COVID has passed, it’s hoped the next Paint Saskatchewan Pink event will be even bigger.