I expect you, too, have seen a bright pink cement mixer around the County, its drum turning merrily as it trundles up the highway. You can hardly miss it. Getting its picture is something else entirely. On Friday I spotted it at the Birch Lake Roadside Park construction site.
I pulled in, parked caterwhompus and dashed for a vantage point.
Pinky is part of the Team Elmer’s fleet. The front of the truck is emblazoned with the construction company’s slogan—Get a Load of This! The rest of the paint job is a rallying cry against breast cancer.
Driver Vicky Long said the whole thing started when the front of her rig needed to be repainted. How about pink? she asked. Fine. One thing led to another, and pretty soon she was driving a happy pink cement mixer, up to her hubcaps in the fight against cancer. Last year Team Elmer’s and Pinky raised over $38,000 for the American Cancer Society, Relay for Life, cancer support units at Munson Healthcare and breast cancer awareness. This year a new campaign, Hit Cancer Below the Belt, will help fund awareness and screening for colorectal, prostate, testicular, cervical and ovarian cancer. Take that, Invasive Species!
Vicky, who was wearing a pink t-shirt atop her boots and jeans, is a happy woman. I did not get a good picture of her and I’m really sorry about that because her smile would remind you of Betty Hoover’s. I did manage this much. You can glimpse Vicky over there on the left, headed back to her rig. [Update 7/27/2011: Tonya over at Team Elmer’s sent me some photos. You can see Vicky’s smile here.]
It turns out that the story of the pink cement mixer was all over Other Local Media, including Team Elmer’s Facebook, all last summer. This year Pinky was in the Kid’s Parade at the Cherry Festival. Clearly I do not get out enough. Ah well. I never promised you cutting edge journalism. Now go get your mammogram or your screening. It may be old news but it bears repeating.
Torch Lake Views 
uphilldowndale
July 17, 2011
Got to love it on many levels!
Try this Think pink, if you want to deter building site thieves
Gerry
July 17, 2011
The Guardian story was verrrry interesting. This may be an entrepreneurial opportunity for artists. Customized heavy equipment would definitely be easy to spot.
No one would steal Pinky. Vicky has made a lot of friends and makes more every day. Everyone in a ten-county area would be on the lookout for the miscreants.
Preston Surface
July 17, 2011
Wow what an inspiring story. You may not be up-to-date however, I would have never known about this if you hadn’t posted. I’ll share this story with friends and co-workers. You are a true blogger. Hats off to you.
Gerry
July 17, 2011
Why thank you, Preston. Share on. I’m glad that being late to the party isn’t always a bad thing!
Fee
July 17, 2011
That is most excellent!
As is your point about mammograms/screening – had my mum not gone for the mammogram when called, she wouldn’t have known the invasive species was there. A simple lumpectomy followed by radiotherapy is much better than the radical measures that might have been needed.
Gerry
July 17, 2011
Truly.
I like the Team Elmer’s approach to community projects. Spirited. Surprising. Useful. Excellent.
Dawn
July 17, 2011
Wonderful! Would love to see this myself…but probably won’t so thanks for sharing her and her truck!!
Gerry
July 17, 2011
You are welcome. If memory serves, you do get up to this neck of the woods every now and then, so you just might catch a glimpse of Pinky the Cement Mixer. Now you’ll know all about it. Oh, you can say to everyone else, that must be Vicky Long’s rig.
Karma
July 18, 2011
I love Pinky! What a great idea – and the slogan “Fight Like a Girl” is pretty awesome too!
Scott Thomas Photography
July 18, 2011
Absolutely outstanding work by Pinky, Vicky and Team Elmer. A giant sized way to fight cancer!
Gerry
July 18, 2011
Hey, Karma–Hey, Scott Thank you. I was tickled pink myself. (Oh shame, shame, how could I say that–how could I not???)