Pink Heals National Tour rolls into Conroe this Wednesday

CONROE, Texas -- Get your pink on this Wednesday, Nov. 12, as the grass-roots Pink Heals Tour comes to Conroe for a free, community-wide block party to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The event, which will feature pink fire trucks and police cars, begins at 4 p.m. at The Red Brick Tavern in Conroe.

In addition to the display of pink emergency vehicles and firefighters in pink uniforms, there will be numerous activities going on for the entire family. There will be live music outdoors, tours of the fire trucks, sign-ups for free mammograms sponsored by Apollo Hospital of The Woodlands and drink specials at The Red Brick Tavern. A variety of Pink Heals merchandise will also be for sale, with all proceeds benefitting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Light The Night Walk.

The Light The Night Walk is an annual fundraising campaign of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) that brings together families and communities to honor blood cancer survivors, as well as those lost to the diseases. The organization looks to ‘shine a light’ on the importance of finding cures and providing access to treatments for blood cancer patients.

Since the inception of the walk, the Montgomery County community has collectively raised $2.5 million through Light The Night Walk fundraising efforts. “This year’s walk, held on Nov. 2, netted more than $535, 000,” said Fawn Creighton, corporate walk chair and CEO of Apollo Hospital. “With donations for cancer research declining for the last five years, grassroots fundraising such as the Pink Heals Tour have grown in importance. Community members can have a direct impact on cancer research and quality of life for cancer patients in their own communities.”

The Pink Heals program was conceived and founded by Dave Graybill, a retired firefighter, whose mission was to change the manner in which communities raise funds to help people battling cancer, with a focus on women. Since 2007, Graybill’s program has evolved from a single fire truck driven by Graybill himself to an international program with more than 150 trucks driven by volunteers in three countries.

According to Graybill, “Our program is not just about raising money and awareness for a disease. Our program is much more profound. It’s a program that brings a community together based on the love of women – our caregivers and their families.” Graybill believes that monies raised in communities should stay there, giving his organization the option to either put it towards research or give it to the people who need it most. One-hundred percent of the money raised by Pink Heals goes directly back to the public.

Tour drivers volunteer up to 21 days at a time to drive the ink fire trucks and police cars across the country to bring the Pink Heals program to local communities. According to Lt. Lloyd Sandifer with the City of Conroe Fire Department and vice president of the Conroe Professional Firefighters Association, “There is quite a waiting list for the Pink Heals Tour. Our firefighter association has been trying to get it to stop through Conroe for several years now and we are thrilled they will be here this week.”

Before heading to Conroe, the Pink Heals Tour will also stop at the two local Tailgators Pub and Grill restaurants located on Highway 242 and on FM 1488, during lunchtime.

The Pink Heals Tour and block party is hosted by the Conroe Professional Firefighters Association.

The mission of the Pink Heals Program is to provide visionary leaders and local businesses with a program that maintains fundraising dollars locally in support of women and their families! For more information about the Pink Heals Tour, visit the website provided.