First Commerce Credit Union and the Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH) Foundation are joining forces again this year to spearhead the #PinkPower #FlamingoChallenge as a fun way to raise funds for local breast cancer patients during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.
More than 100 businesses, agencies, schools and organizations, as well as dozens of individuals, participated in the challenge’s first year in 2020, raising over $40,000 to directly benefit patients of the Walker Breast Program at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare.
To jumpstart the challenge this year, First Commerce and the TMH Foundation will welcome back former supporters and challenge even more businesses, organizations and individuals in Tallahassee and South Georgia to join the flock. Anyone accepting the challenge will receive a flock of plastic flamingos and will be encouraged to raise funds to directly support local patients – and then keep the flock moving by issuing a challenge to another organization or individual.
Top fundraisers for the challenge in 2020 were: First Commerce Credit Union, Thomas Howell Ferguson P.A. CPAs, Moore Bass Consulting Inc., Tallahassee Primary Care Associates, in focUS apparel, Tallahassee Homes Realty/Porter Chandler and
three generations of the Walker Family.
“The first year of the Flamingo Challenge was even better than we expected,” said Cecilia Homison, CEO of First Commerce. “As a breast cancer survivor, I was incredibly touched to see our communities come together to support local patients who were able to benefit from the excellent care available at the Tallahassee Memorial Cancer Center. We believe this year will be even better, and we can’t wait to see all the flamingo flocks around town.”
Generous community support given through the #FlamingoChallenge is making a direct impact on patient care. The Walker Breast Program recently expanded with a new multidisciplinary Breast Clinic, located at the Tallahassee Memorial Cancer Center.
The clinic streamlines weeks of appointments into a single visit. This means patients receive treatment faster by bringing all the medical experts together in one location to create an integrated treatment plan, a care model typically only seen at nationally recognized cancer hospitals.
“TMH is a nonprofit, community healthcare system, which means we both serve the community and rely on the community’s commitment to make the best possible healthcare available right here in Tallahassee,” said Nigel Allen, president and chief advancement officer of the TMH Foundation. “We’re honored to partner with First Commerce. Their commitment and dedication to this cause truly demonstrate what’s possible when giving back and caring for the community are at the heart of a business.”
“My family and I are extremely grateful to see the community support for local patients”, said Claude Walker, a member of the TMH Board of Directors. Walker helped found TMH’s Walker Breast Program and is a former volunteer leader at First Commerce who served on the Audit Committee in recent years. “I know we will surpass last year’s fundraising total because our community always comes through.”
Everyone in the community is invited to participate in the #PinkPower #FlamingoChallenge including businesses, organizations, schools and individuals. The concept is simple: Once you accept the challenge and receive the flamingos, along with a yard sign or poster about the initiative, post your photo with the flock and make a fundraising pledge on social media. No amount is too small, and 100% of these tax-deductible gifts directly support local patients fighting breast cancer.
Next, contact the organization or individual you want to challenge and ask them to do the same. Once they accept, move the flock in front of their business, organization, school, or home and ask them to do the same within 24 hours.
For more information on how to start your own flock and/or join the #PinkPower #FlamingoChallenge, visit TMH.ORG/PinkPower or contact First Commerce by email at Flamingos@FirstCommerceCU.org or by phone at (850) 488-0035, press 1, and then extension 1055 or 3553.
Funds raised through the #PinkPower #FlamingoChallenge will directly benefit patients of the Walker Breast Program, which offers a full array of diagnostic and support services for the detection and treatment of breast cancer.
“Being able to stay at home and close to my family and friends while going through treatment made an incredibly difficult time in my life a bit more bearable,” Homison said. “Knowing that so many other First Commerce team members, members and friends have a connection to this cause, we wanted to take our efforts to the next level and empower people to give back by finding ways even during the COVID pandemic to support others in our area who are facing their own battles. We also want to remind women to get their annual mammograms. Early detection saves lives!”
Everyone in the community can follow the flocks on social media throughout October with hashtags: #FollowTheFlock #FindTheFlock #PinkPower #FlamingoChallenge and by visiting @FirstCommerceCU and @TMHFoundation on Facebook and Instagram.
As another way to help the community show support during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, TMH Foundation and First Commerce have designated Friday, Oct. 22, as #PinkPower Day in our community. Paint the town pink by encouraging your
team, family and friends to wear or display pink, decorate offices and homes (work from home spaces, too!) and more. The #FlamingoChallenge will also be front and center at Bannerman Crossing’s Northtown Get Down on Friday, Oct. 22,
as businesses rally to support the cause.
To learn more about #PinkPower including how you can participate in the #FlamingoChallenge, visit TMH.ORG/PinkPower.
