Think pink at P.J. Chilcottage

in Life by Madison Santos — October 26, 2012 at 12:19 pm | no comments

By Cara Buchanan

Think Pink. It is a two-word, two-syllable statement that has made a powerful impact in the fight against breast cancer. From races to relays, walks to park strolls, there is no shortage of support to “Save the Ta-tas”, and for the local women in Flagstaff, the cause hits closer to home.

P.J. Chilcottage, a staple retail store for homemade soaps and girly frills, is honoring October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month by offering pink ribbon merchandise with proceeds benefiting the Breast Cancer Resource Center of the Flagstaff Medical Center. To premiere their efforts, the women of Chilcottage hosted a Girls Night Out event in hopes to raise the first thousand of their $5,000 fundraising goal.

Lisa Brink, the store manager, explains Girls Night Out was a soap-making event.

“We’re raising money for local women who are dealing with breast cancer, and this year we decided to marry it with a party,” she says. “What a better way to get October kicked off than having a party, where people can come in, make soap, enter a raffle and hopefully raise a lot of money.”

All month long, pink merchandise lines the windows and shelves of the wooden-floored retail store to help fight breast cancer one purchase at a time. Chilcottage’s signature soap is adorned in pink ribbons, but the “think pink” mantra doesn’t stop there. Purchase a collection of tumblers, key chains, sleep shirts and ribbon pins, and a portion of the proceeds will help the Resource Center provide women with anything from scarves and hats to massages and discectomy bras.

“It’s more than a color; it’s a cause and a drive for awareness” is the the motto that encourages the women of P.J. Chilcottage to give back so strongly to the community and neighbors they cherish.

“Here at the store, we like to have it be a fun and creative environment for women in the community,” says assistant store manager Jenny Mast. “This is such an important cause to women and so it just seems like a natural fit for a store that loves to have things for women to support a huge cause for women.”

Mast also knows the realities of the diagnosis first hand.

“My grandmother [had] breast cancer when she was a lot younger, and my cousin was just recently diagnosed with breast cancer, and she is only 23 years old,” she says. “It’s definitely hit my family and it’s important to me.”

Studies have shown one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, and according to sources from the Susan G. Komen Foundation, an estimated 226,870 women and 2,190 men are expected to be affected by invasive breast cancer in the United States this year.

As the numbers grow, Girls Night Out party-goers and Resource Center caretakers chime in on why small gestures of support go a long way in the battle against breast cancer.

“It affects all of us,” a Chilcottage employee said. “We’re all women, whether we work for the cancer center or not. If it supports our community, it’s a great cause.”

The passionate women of P.J. Chilcottage will continue to keep the ball rolling. Shoppers can raise money by donating what they desire and purchasing pink ribbon items. In addition to those transactions, Chilcottage will make an additional donation for the cause.

P.J. Chilcottage is located in the Old Towne Shops of Heritage Square, and now through Oct. 31, customers can shop, donate and catch up with the girls on a mission to support breast cancer funding.