Press Release: Pink Arrow Funds Distributed

We received the following release from the Lowell Area Schools.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Teresa Beachum Lowell Area Schools

Press Release

For the ninth consecutive year, the student-led Lowell Pink Arrow Pride IX, a truly special event, was held on September 16, 2016. Meaning and emotion filled the Lowell stadium that day. Once again, the entire Lowell community came together to make life better for individuals and families whose lives are affected by cancer.  Families who have lost or have a surviving loved one take the opportunity to honor and memorialize them in a special ceremony at Pink Arrow, it is a reverent and powerful moment for us all. The Pink Arrow Pride experience not only raised the level of awareness about cancer and its devastating effect on families, but it provided an opportunity for Lowell’s student athletes to demonstrate that life is not just about winning competitions, but that there are more important values of family, kindness, honor, and service.

While there are many organizations raising money to find a cure for cancer, Pink Arrow Pride is unique in that it is the only organization that is helping families who are currently fighting this devastating illness. Cancer is changing the lives of people right here in our town. People living with this illness need support, – our support – community support…and they are getting it. Along with family support Pink Arrow maintains student scholarships in honor of Kathy Talus, a former Lowell teacher and coach who lost her battle with cancer, and Dr. Donald Gerard who has dedicated more than 30 years volunteering and giving care to student athletes. Of note, is the support that Pink Arrow provides to Gilda’s Club of Lowell. Gilda’s provides numerous programs and activities to individuals and families who are fighting cancer.  Pink Arrow has provided significant help to more than 80 Lowell families this year alone. If you visited Lowell any time last September, it was hard to miss that something special was going on as you could not avoid the Pink Arrow message through light post street banners, t-shirts, marquees, billboards, and local business participation.  The Pink Arrow Volunteer Committee can equivocally state that zero dollars raised are spent on administrative costs to run the entire Pink Arrow project and 100% of the funds stay right here in Lowell. The committee is humbled and honored to announce the success in numbers for Pink Arrow IX:

Total Pink Arrow IX Dollars Raised …………………………………………………..$126,500.00

The Dollars will be used as follows:
Gilda’s Club of Lowell ………………………………………………………………….. $72,000.00
Lowell Community Wellness – Family Support ………………………………….$46,000.00
Lowell Community Wellness – Education Fund ………………………………… $2,500.00
Dr. Gerard Scholarship Donation …………………………………………………….. $4,000.00
Kathy Talus Scholarship Donation …………………………………………………… $2,000.00

Pink Arrow Pride has made a great impact on our community its nine years of existence. It is always our goal to make next year bigger and better in order to provide more funding to the valuable programs that directly help the people of our community. Thank you to our community, for continuing to participate and support the Pink Arrow mission.