Elmer's Truck Raises Money and Awareness
It's the 4th of the month. That means it's time to call your buddy as a reminder to do a self breast exam.
It's also time for our Buddy Check report.
With these reports, we've done stories on pink ribbons and high teas, but never on construction crews, until now.
When you think of road crews you think of dirty, gritty, not pink and pretty.
Elmer's Community Relations Manager Tonya Wildfong says, "oh my gosh, the pink truck! It's quite a story."
Most of the workers at Team Elmer's are men. Vicky Long is an exception.
Wildfong says, "She’s always talked about having a pink truck. It'd be great! She's the only woman driver here. She really wanted to get something a little special."
This year Vicky got her wish. Elmer's needed to repaint one of the mixers and thought they'd mix it up a little.
Wildfong says, "Obviously if we paint a truck pink we want to do something important with it, give back to the community and be able to raise awareness."
Wildfong says, "We've had employees here who have had breast cancer, friends, family, moms, sisters, daughters, aunts, it affects everyone in the same way."
To raise awareness and money Elmer's is pairing a pink truck with social media to spread the word.
When you see the truck write where and when on Facebook and Twitter. For every sighting this summer Elmer's will donate a dollar to the Munson Healthcare Foundation's cancer funds.
If you post a picture with your sighting, Elmer's will donate $2.
If you friend them or follow them, Elmer's will donate $5.
Which adds up to a lot of help for northern Michigan cancer patients.
Munson Healthcare Regional Foundation's Coordinator of Annual Giving Julie Friley says, "we are seeing an increase. Charity care has increased and certainly support for these funds have increased and that's what we're here for."
With a little help from a big pink truck, Team Elmer's is hoping to set things rolling down the right road.
Friley says, "We just thought it was the coolest idea for a company like Elmer's that already has a community presence. To do something they already do and turn it into something really remarkable really amazing."
Wildfong says, "be on the lookout, be on the lookout for a pink mixer."
Here are the links to Team Elmer's on Facebook and Twitter.
You can also follow me on Twitter.
