Steppin’ Out in Pink has positive impact on cancer patients at Gundersen Health System

LA CROSSE, Wis. (WEAU) - Steppin’ Out in Pink was back with a bang this year as more than 4,000 participants brought energy to riverside park on September 9th.

About a month later, Gundersen Health System officials discuss the impacts the event has.

“There’s an impressive outpouring of community support for the work we do here at the Gundersen Health System. It’s the patient care support. It’s providing early detection. It’s providing access to the Norma J. Vinger Breast Center and also to fund endowments to do research into perpetuity to prevent suffering from breast cancer,” says Gundersen Medical Foundation chairman, Stephen Shapiro

“Steppin’ Out in Pink means celebration, remembrance. It means community involvement. And like I said, just really celebration of a whole bunch of work being done to improve the lives of many people right here in our community,” says Gunderson Medical Foundation philanthropy program coordinator, Olivia Moths.

Gundersen has many local sponsors who helped out with donations.

“Vendors like Moka, who have got behind us with pink drinks building up to the event. So the money comes from all sorts of places, and I think that just shows the broad support and confidence people have in our health system,” says Shapiro

“We have so many incredible sponsors. It’s amazing to see all these businesses and individual donors in our communities step up to help our organization help our patients. We have 55 very generous local sponsors, and that number seems to grow every year,” says Moths.

This year’s event raised just over $400,000. And all of the donated money will stay within Gundersen to help with cancer care.

“Every dollar that is raised through Steppin’ Out in Pink stays here, it doesn’t go anywhere else. And I think that’s what makes stepping out in pink a really unique event. And that’s what makes Gunderson Medical Foundation really unique as an organization,” says Moths

Officials say out of the total amount of money raised this year, $50,000 will be transferred to the Paula’s Purse Cancer Patient Fund and $100,000 to Gundersen’s Kabara Cancer Research Institute.

There is still time to donate and you can do so at steppinoutinpink.org.

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