Deb Spalding
You couldn’t miss them: pink fire trucks roaming the roads in Emmitsburg and Thurmont on July 6 and 7, 2015. Seeing these trucks commanded your attention, their bright pink color inspiring feelings of support in the underlying meaning of that color, symbolizing the fight against cancer.
The volunteers driving the pink fire trucks conduct a three-week tour called a “Pink Heals Tour,” stopping at host fire companies along the way to spread the word about a new way of thinking: an initiative where citizens donate and fund raise within their own communities to support people battling cancer within their own ranks rather than donate to big corporations, where donations are eaten up by management salaries and other operational costs.
While selling “Pink Heals” t-shirts (t-shirt sales pay for the gas and maintenance of the pink fire trucks), the program’s founder, retired firefighter David Graybill, said, “I was sick of the system; I simply got tired of the poor and middle class using free labor to fund corporate charity.”
He started the organization in 2007. Today, over 150 trucks in three countries are driven by hundreds of volunteers, on a mission to keep fundraising local to support the communities themselves. Many towns that are run by visionary leaders have adopted the initiative (see a map of towns on www.pinkfiretrucks.org.)
Pink Heals volunteer, Bryan Vrbenec “Vinnie,” will travel two weeks on his third tour with the program.
“It’s a great cause and I want to spread the word and put a smile on people’s faces. It’s powerful!” said Vinnie.
Johnie Roth, president of the Maryland State Fireman’s Association, visited the pink firetrucks with his wife, Marcia, on July 7 while it was parked at the Frederick County Fire and Rescue Museum on South Seton Avenue in Emmitsburg.
Marcia is a three-time cancer survivor. She took pride in signing the fire truck. “I was in chemo this time last year. It feels good to be a survivor.”
Pink Heals National is proud to present a Children’s Program: Gunner’s Kids! Visit Gunnerskids.org to find out more about this community-based initiative to support and inspire the children in your community!
To start a Pink Heals chapter, please visit pinkfiretrucks.org.
