Pink Night 2023
Last Friday night Thunder Ridge High School held their fifth annual Pink Night. This event was started by Thunder Ridge basketball coach Lee Toldson in honor of his aunt who battled and passed away from cancer. The purpose of the event is to raise funds for local families dealing with cancer and to raise cancer awareness.
I would like to give you the background on how it all started. Michele Kennedy was the president of the Thunder Ridge booster club and had reached out to one of the local hospitals to get them to sponsor the pink t-shirts they were going to give away. The person they talked to at the hospital agreed as long as they gave a portion of the funds to the Shannon Wilker Foundation. Michele agreed and contacted me the day after the event. She explained the agreement with the hospital and told me she had a check for the Foundation. I agreed to meet her at the High School to pick up the check. When I met Michele at the school, she handed me a check for $500. I asked her the same question I always ask anyone who donates to the Foundation. I asked her if there was a family she knew that we could help with the funds. Michele told me they were actually raising the funds for two Thunder Ridge families that had a student with cancer. I told her the Foundation would write a check for $250 to give to each family. I always enjoy being able to make sure the money anyone raises goes to help someone they know.
The funds raised this year are going to a family with a one year old girl who is dealing with brain cancer. I must admit when I heard that, it broke my heart to think about what the family must be going through. When Kristi and I arrived at the gym, it was amazing to see how many raffle items there were for the silent auction. It was heartwarming to see all the services offered by members of the basketball team, and other students. It is another example of the amazing young adults we have in our community.
It has been an extreme honor to be part of this event every year, and I am so proud of everyone that puts it together and everyone in our community that supports it. Thanks for reading.