The Etheringtons
Friday marked the 5th annual Pink Party, held this year at The Castlefield Event Theatre in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Founded by Paul Etherington, the event was established in response to his mother’s Breast cancer diagnosis as a platform to raise research funds and individual donor awareness about the disease effecting nearly 23,800 Canadian women annually. The Pink Party began in Paul Etherington’s very own backyard with under 20 attendees of personal connection. Since its humble beginnings five years ago, the seeds of sincere intention have allowed the event to grow exponentially, this year’s Pink Party drawing a crowd of over 900 attendees.
Hosted by Paul Etherington and Smallville’s Kristen Kreuk, Friday’s event featured lavish décor and a formal-casual dress code showcasing the iconic “pink pride” of Breast Cancer awareness. The night featured the musical talents of Juno Award-winning rocker’s The Sheepdogs and Grammy Award-winning dance-doctors Naughty By Nature. The night kept getting hotter with a Calvin Klein underwear fashion show, both briefs and bras showing visual “support” for the cause. Attendees were encouraged to participate in a silent auction composed of high profile collectibles and sport memorabilia, a ticket raffle earning one lucky donor a New York City weekend trip for two. The evening’s ticket price of 140 dollars also included a candy buffet and an open bar, Iceberg Vodka and Molson Canadian fuelling the night’s lack of inhibitions and surpl
us of personality as partygoers danced on top of the disease with the fist-pumping sounds of DJ Tom Wrecks.
The Pink Party was made possible by presenting sponsors Air Miles Loyalty One and Etherington Generations, Duet PR helping to package the evening’s festivities to perfection. The one-night-event raised an impressive $50,000 for Breast Cancer research pushing forth another small victory in the advancing war to find a cure. Paul Etherington says “Last year’s event brought out 650 people. We’re looking to level-up corporate support every year to feed the growth of the event so that we can raise more money and save more lives.”
Diagnosed at the age of 65, Kirsteen Etherington says “ My experience was incredibly tough and its painful to know that it’s what so many innocent people have to go through.” In Canada alone, 456 women are newly diagnosed with Breast cancer every week, leading to a staggering 5,000 deaths each year as a direct result of the disease. According to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, Breast cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer mortality among Canadian women, accounting for 14 percent of all cancer-related deaths. Now in remission, Etherington projected positivity at the sight of a swelling number of supporters wearing pink uniforms like an army of awareness standing united in a war cry of magnificence. As advice to those currently battling the disease Etherington says, “Have faith and believe in yourself. If you have strong support and an uncompromising state of mind you can beat it.” Etherington’s inspiring words remind us that humans stand strongest in numbers and with the growing research and support systems spawned by awareness initiatives such as The Pink Party, Canadians are making large strides toward making cancer history.
