Cancer survivor Kathy Pasillas and City Councilmember Robert Garcia in a newly-painted pink cab with “Pink Ride” topsign. Photo courtesy Sergio Carrillo of Yellow Cab.
3:45pm | Taxicabs throughout Long Beach and Los Angeles will don new pink paint jobs and topsigns that read “Pink Ride” this month in support of breast cancer awareness and research.
“Yes, we hope to raise money,” said Long Beach Yellow Cab general manager William J. Rouse. “But we also hope that people will see these vehicles and are spurred on to do something on their own, whether that be doing their own fundraiser, helping out a friend with breast cancer, or maybe even just making sure they or a loved on get themselves screened.”
Long Beach Yellow Cab will donate $1 from each fare, with a minimum of $1,500, to the American Cancer Society’s local fight against breast cancer. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The taxi effort is part of the international “Pink Ride” program run by the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association (TLPA).
“As we observe Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I want to applaud Long Beach Yellow Cab for their leadership in helping to raise money and awareness for breast cancer research,” said Long Beach City Councilmember Robert Garcia. “It is critically important that people get educated and are aware of the resources that are out there to help people that may be going through this terrible disease.”
Among those in attendance yesterday was Kathy Pasillas, a cancer survivor and lead volunteer for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life. She encouraged women to adopt the practice of having annual mammograms beginning at age forty.
“Long Beach Yellow Cab is truly making a difference in the fight against breast cancer, by helping raise awareness of the most common cancer among women in California,” she said. “Because of their support the Society can continue to provide free information, programs and services to local breast cancer patients and work to create a world with more birthdays.”
Last Friday, the Lakewood and Long Beach Poly football teams raised money and wore pink accents on their jerseys in a similar effort.
“On behalf of the City of Long Beach, I want to thank Long Beach Yellow Cab for being a great corporate citizen,” said Long Beach Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal. “Breast Cancer will affect 1 in 8 women in America. So far in Los Angeles County in 2010 alone, 5,600 women have been diagnosed with breast cancer and 1,125 women have lost the battle. However, due to businesses like Long Beach Yellow Cab and the great work of the American Cancer Society, today there is a 7% decrease in breast cancer incidents and a 31% decrease in breast cancer deaths.”