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People of all ages showed up to support the Light A Candle program at the Colors of Hope
5K fun run/walk on September 13, 2014.
In just one hour, over 540 generous com-
munity members raised over $43,000 to
help prevent breast cancer in Latah County.
Thirteen years ago, Patricia Kemp-
thorne, then rst lady of Idaho, started
Pink Tea events throughout the state.
Kempthorne’s vision inspired Gritman
employees to host their own Pink Tea
and develop a Bosom Buddies program.
Since then, the program has raised over
$300,000 to help more than 1,000 women
detect, ght and survive breast cancer.
The emcee of this year’s Pink Tea was
Christin Reisenauer, MD, medical director
for Gritman’s Women’s Imaging Center.
Other speakers were Patricia Kempthorne;
Geo rey Stiller, MD, of Palouse Surgeons;
and Moscow Mayor Bill Lambert. Keynote
speaker Tina McClure shared a moving
story about her journey through breast
cancer and how that involved her family
and community. McClure also spoke about
the excellent care she received from the
Palouse medical community.
Ticket sales for a ra e featuring a “Pink
Tea Quilt for the Cure,”made by Stitches
& Petals, and a 1-carat pink sapphire pen-
dant, donated by Johnson’s Jewelry, added
to the total amount raised for the Bosom
Buddies fund. Other groups contributed
to the fund-raising e orts prior to Pink Tea.
ClearView Eye Clinic hosted a Ladies Night,
in which they donated 5 percent of their
pro ts, or $488. The Genesee Volleyball and
Troy Volleyball teams played a Dig for a
Cure game at Genesee High School, where
they raised funds for Bosom Buddies, and
donated $2,800. At the Pink Tea event,
Chicks ‘n Chaps Women’s Rodeo Clinic pre-
sented a check for $10,800 to the Gritman
Light A Candle fund, which helps people
facing nancial di culty because of cancer.
2014 corporate sponsors included
Advantage Advertising, Allegra Print &
Imaging, Alturas Analytics, Best Western Plus
University Inn, Inland Cellular, Inland North-
west Blood Center, Jess Ford of Pullman, La-
tah County Title Company, Moscow Family
Medicine, MoscowMedical, Moscow Realty,
myRadio 102.5 FM, Palouse Surgeons, Pau-
lucci’s Men’s Wear & Formal, PNW Farmers
Cooperative, Re/Max Connections, Turn-Key
Medical and the University of Idaho.
Participating in the Light A Candle Colors
of Hope 5K run/walk is more than just
getting covered in color—it’s running for a
cause. Held annually in September, the Col-
ors of Hope 5K supports the Light A Candle
program, which is sponsored through Grit-
man Medical Center.
Over 100 participants came out to sup-
port the local cancer aware-
ness event, raising $3,000 for
cancer patients in Latah and
Whitman counties. Local
politicians Shirley Green and
Caroline Nilsson Troy partici-
pated, and a couple Moscow
medical clinics had teams,
including ClearView Eye Clinic
and Moscow Family Medicine.
Among the crowd were
also multiple generations of the
Strong family, who ran in honor
of their brother who passed away
from brain cancer, said Becky
Chavez, co-founder of the Light A
Candle Program.
“They dedicated [the run] in
memory of him and continue to
donate to the Light A Candle Program
yearly in his honor, and really do the run
in honor of him too,” said Chavez.
The run went off without a hitch this
year. As this was the third annual Colors
of Hope 5K, each year will get even
better.
“I loved the color this year, and we
are happy to say I believe we got the
right mix of vibrant colors,” said Chavez.
“The volunteers, as usual, went above and
beyond to help out, and I know we would
never be able to do this race without all the
helpers. It really does take a village, and I
know Debi Dockins and I are so grateful for
the community we have that supports this
program and our fundraisers.”
If you missed the race this year, there
are other Light A Candle fund-raising
events throughout the year: Hoops for
Hope (February), Bowling for a Cause
(March), Bunko for a Cause (March),
Colors of Hope Fun Run (September) and
Palouse Cares (December).
The Light A Candle Program raises
funds for services, helping cancer
patients improve their quality of life
and easing some of the pressure that
comes with facing cancer. Some of
the services include housekeep-
ing, gas cards, grocery assis-
tance, massage and others as
requested.
Donations to the Light A
Candle Program are accepted
at any time. You can send a
check to the Gritman Medi-
cal Center Foundation
for the Light A Candle
Fund, 700 S. Main St.,
Moscow, ID 83843.
Free mammograms
for those in need
These colors run—against cancer
w
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