Power of Pink to mark start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Mercy Medical Center and Alliant Energy are joining forces to light the night pink Sept. 28 at the Hall-Perrine Cancer Center in Cedar Rapids.

The Power of Pink event will again mark the arrival of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October) with a lighting ceremony, fireworks and giveaways to promote awareness and early detection.

The Hall-Perrine Cancer Center, as well as Mercy’s main hospital entrances and other designated areas on the Mercy campus, will be illuminated in pink and remain lit throughout the month of October.

At 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Alliant Energy will begin giving away free energy-saving, compact pink fluorescent light bulbs, while supplies last. Those who receive the light bulbs are encouraged to put them in their porch lights for the month of October as a reminder to individuals in their neighborhood to get screened for breast cancer.

A brief program at 7:30 p.m. will be followed by the illumination of the cancer center and hospital, with fireworks capping off the evening’s events.

The public is encouraged to attend and wear pink. A $2 donation will be made to the Especially for You (EFY) fund for each person in attendance. The fund provides breast care services, such as mammograms, biopsies and ultrasounds, as well as gynecological cancer care services, for individuals who can’t otherwise afford them.