After head gymnastics coach Sarah Patterson did not pass her annual mammogram 10 years ago, she felt inspired to do something to support women who may have experienced similar situations.
“There’s nothing wrong with me. I just want to make sure everybody knows,” Patterson said.
Patterson, after her hospital stay at DCH, had nothing but praise for the care she received. But it did strike a chord with her about women and health care resources.
“I had no problem, but having that level of health care…made me think about other women that didn’t have those kinds of resources. That’s when we started The Power of Pink,” Patterson said.
The Power of Pink is a breast cancer awareness program that started in 2005 with a gymnastics meet against Auburn. It has since spread to all of the women’s sports at the University as well as to universities and professional sports teams across the country.
The year following the program’s launch, Patterson said, the DCH Foundation stepped in and created the DCH Breast Cancer Fund. The Foundation began to hold an annual golf tournament called “A Nite on the Green” in order to raise money for the cause.
A Nite on the Green has been held annually since 2006, contributing a large amount to the DCH Breast Cancer Fund’s total of 1.3 million dollars raised in support of breast cancer awareness and care. The Breast Cancer Fund works to provide underinsured and uninsured women in West Alabama with information about and treatment for breast cancer, including mammograms, screening, a mammogram hotline, wigs and creams.
“A Nite on the Green” will be returning to the Cypress Inn Pavilion this Thursday, Oct. 3.
Natalie Abbott, DCH Breast Cancer Fund event coordinator, said last year was the first time they held the event on the pavilion.
“We wanted a relaxed feel since we were going somewhere new. It went over really well last year, so we decided to return,” Abbott said.
In the past, the fundraiser has hosted such celebrities as Alabama-native American Idol winner Taylor Hicks. This year’s musical entertainment consists of the John Martin Davis Band, hailing from Mobile.
“They’re an up-and-coming band. They’re actually doing some work in a studio in Nashville currently,” Abbott said.
The event features a live and silent auction, with items and services donated from local businesses and community members.
“We really have a lot of neat stuff that you don’t see at other auctions in Tuscaloosa,” Abbott said. “In our live auction, we have a trip to Costa Rica and a trip to Napa Valley; in the silent auction, we have prints signed by Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson.”
Patterson said that she thinks “A Nite on the Green” has developed into a Power of Pink tradition. She said that when the event initially launched, it was much more difficult to get people involved, compared to how it is now.
“Now, I feel like people are there because they know the fund is available and because it’s a great evening of entertainment, at an amazing venue for it,” Patterson said.
This year, Abbott expects there to be about 300 guests in attendance from a variety of ages and backgrounds. The tickets were purchased by guests in advance, with the profits going entirely to the DCH Breast Cancer Fund.
“A Nite on the Green” is the first of many events and fundraisers highlighting Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October. This month, there will be three athletic events associated with Power of Pink: Friday, Oct. 18, UA volleyball vs. Texas A&M at Foster Auditorium and UA Cross Country’s Crimson Classic at the Harry Pritchett Running Course; and on Sunday, Oct. 20, UA Soccer vs. Kentucky at the Alabama Soccer Stadium.
