A parade of pink fire trucks toured Downers Grove on Tuesday, spreading messages of hope, survival and support for women who have been impacted by cancer.
The trucks—part of the national Pink Heals Tour—visited the homes of several cancer survivors and were on display for the public in downtown Downers Grove and the Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital parking lot, where Downers Grove Professional Firefighters I.A.F.F. Local 3234 sold T-shirts to raise money for the hospital's Wig Boutique.
The Pink Heals Tour and "Cares Enough to Wear Pink" program were founded in 2007 by retired Arizona firefighter Dave Graybill as a way to help women battling cancer. Today, dozens of pink fire trucks and police cars tour the country to show their support for women and help raise money for community organizations.
On Tuesday night, the Pink Heals Tour was recognized at the Downers Grove Village Council meeting, where proclamations were read by Mayor Martin Tully and State Rep. Ron Sandack (R-Downers Grove).
Tully declared Aug. 6 "Cares Enough to Wear Pink Day" in Downers Grove.
"It's really a terrific thing, and I think we've all been really impressed by how much the community has embraced the tour," Tully said.
Downers Grove Commissioner Geoff Neustadt offered a personal thank you to the tour, which surprised his Aunt Louise, on Tuesday. Louise, a four-time cancer survivor, was greeted with a serenade of horns and sirens, and was able to sign one of the pink fire trucks.
"These gentlemen and women go out of their way to make these cancer patients and survivors the only special thing in that moment and that day, and it really does make a huge difference in their lives," Neustadt said of Pink Heals.
The tour has stopped in Downers Grove for the past two years, thanks in large part to the involvement of Downers Grove paramedic-firefighter Joel Mains, who volunteers with the organization.
"We volunteer our time, we take vacation days and travel the country for two or three week stints supporting women," Mains said. "Initially the push was cancer because everyone knows someone affected by cancer, but it's truly more than just cancer. We've met people afflicted by MS, strokes—you name it—and they tend to fall through cracks in this day and age."
Mains said the Pink Heals Tour has given him and other firefighters a way to give back to the women in their lives and their communities.
"My mom, my sisters, my wives, my daughters have all taken great care of me and played huge role in making me the man I am today," Mains said. "This is an opportunity to repay them and show some respect for what they've done for me with women in this community."
For more information about Pink Heals—Guardians of the Ribbon visit www.pinkfiretrucks.org.
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