Seymour Pink Day culminated Wednesday with a fundraiser and thank you celebration at Hot Tamale Mexican Grill and Bar in Seybridge Plaza.
The nonprofit Seymour Pink is the community’s fight against breast cancer.
Seymour resident Mary Deming founded Seymour Pink in 2009 in memory of her mother, Theodosia McEnerney, who died at age 55 from breast cancer.
She said she saw more pink Wednesday than she had ever seen in town. The annual event also received some television news coverage from NBC 30. The news report is embedded below.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.
On Seymour Pink Day businesses offered discounts and streets were decorated with pink breast cancer awareness ribbons, banners in honor of survivors and in memory of those who died, and balloons to show support.
“I thank everyone for thinking pink, wearing pink, and decorating pink,” Deming said.
Hot Tamale will donate 20 percent of its sales Wednesday to Seymour Pink.
Owner Bert Volpacchio said last year $1,100 was donated to Seymour Pink after the event. He said with the great turnout Wednesday he hoped the amount would be “the same if not better” this year.
“Today is a celebration,” Deming said. “We celebrate strength and courage of all survivors. There’s no sadness today.”
She said this year she felt her late mother’s presence more than in the past.
Deming said on Wednesday morning she was thinking how it would be wonderful to have television coverage of Seymour Pink Day.
Minutes later her phone rang and it was a reporter from NBC Connecticut. The reporter visited Deming and board members and they were featured on the news program.
“That was my mother’s doing,” Deming said.
At the celebration Deming announced that to date Seymour Pink has raised $900,000 in the fight against breast cancer.
The organization empowers breast cancer survivors by offering financial assistance, educates the public about the disease and helps fund research.
Also on hand at Hot Tamale was Randy Lewis, a 43-year veteran of Citizens Engine Company #2.
He was selling T-shirts for $20 with 10 percent of the proceeds going to Seymour Pink. Last year Citizens Engine donated $500 from T-shirt sales, he said.
The T-shirt theme is “Kick Up Your Hells For Breast Cancer,” correlating with the past “Pink ProMENade” walks in Seymour in which men wore high heels and walked to show their support.
The annual Pounding the Pavement for Pink race/walk was held Oct. 3, with more than 2,200 people participating. The event raised an estimated $40,000 that will be used to help more than 75 families currently battling breast cancer.
Click here for photos from that event.
