Rural Missouri - October 2024 - 21

Left: Nick says each ribbon takes him about 15 minutes to paint and
that he uses 1 1/2 cans of pink paint and three-fourths a can of white
paint. Below left: Nick asks for a $50 donation for a ribbon, and a
$200 donation will keep your ribbon pink all October long.
the field. He had an extra stencil he let me borrow for that
year and I was off and painting. "
Nick didn't track how many ribbons he painted that
first year, but he raised more than $6,000 and learned tips
and tricks to make his fundraising more efficient in the
future. Since then, he's learned which stores sell the bestlooking
pink spray paint and how to buy it in bulk with
the help of paint sponsors. He's worked with his brother to
develop a system to most efficiently plan his painting trips.
With the logistics in place, all that's left to do is paint.
With well over 300 ribbons completed, Nick has turned
it into a science. " On my way to the house or business, I
might be shaking the paint with one hand so it's ready to
go when I get there, " he says. " Then I just need to find the
most visible spot for the stencil. "
He starts by making a quick white outline of the ribbon
with the stencil and filling it in with pink. " At that point,
if you can color inside the lines, you can do this, " he says
with a smile. " Then I just finish it with more white to make
sure it looks crisp and I'm off to the next one. "
Nick asks for at least a $50 donation to paint a ribbon.
Most ribbons last about a week, but several factors impact
its longevity. He says a ribbon painted on zoysia grass will
last longer due to its slow-growing nature as opposed to a
ribbon painted on fescue, which will fade faster if there's
plenty of October rain. For a $200 donation, Nick will
paint a ribbon at your home or business and repaint it all
month long so it looks fresh until November.
" There's a lot of people who might be survivors or who
have family fighting who immediately sign up for that $200
because they want to show off that ribbon all month long, "
he says. " So I've created this month with a lot of work, but
I know how much it means. "
Missouri. " I think I probably said yes before I knew what
it involved, " he says. " But she explained that I would need
to raise money and awareness for breast cancer and wear
pink every day in October. "
According to Briana Huff, senior development manager
for the American Cancer Society of Southwest Missouri,
Men Wear Pink is a national campaign that raises money
for breast cancer research, transportation and lodging
for those undergoing treatment. " Our goal is to turn the
money around right back into the community, " she says.
" Providing the transportation and lodging just eliminates
those burdens for them. "
Previously, Nick had seen others who took on fundraising
activities, hosted big events or did celebrity bartending
nights out, but that wasn't in the cards during the early
days of the COVID-19 pandemic. " I was trying to come up
with a way to raise money, but something that might not
require a big gathering, " says Nick, a commercial turf and
grounds instructor at State Technical College of Missouri
in Linn. " I thought of a former student of mine who works
at Arrowhead Stadium where they paint the ribbons on
The campaign encourages ambassadors to use their
skills to develop a fundraiser unique to them. Briana says
other ambassadors host pickleball tournaments, brewery
nights, sell pink cookie dough and more.
" We don't want it to be a daunting task, " she says. " We
want them to lean into their own network and what they're
passionate about. You'd be surprised what you can turn
into a fundraiser if you care about it - the more creative
the better. "
The ribbons go beyond just raising money and awareness.
" I'm just a guy with a stencil and two colors of paint
trying to raise money, " he says. " I hear from people going
through treatments who specifically go to tracks where
there's a ribbon painted to walk and keep
up with their exercise. It just means a lot
and that's why I do it. "
Jefferson City
To learn more about Men Wear
Pink, visit bit.ly/mwpmo. To view
or donate to Nick's campaign or to
order a ribbon in Cole or Osage
counties, visit bit.ly/rackersmwp.
OCTOBER 2024 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP 21
http://bit.ly/mwpmo http://bit.ly/rackersmwp http://www.RURALMISSOURI.COOP
Rural Missouri - October 2024

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