This week, shopping at some of Waunakee’s Main Street businesses will offer more than just retail therapy and gratification. It can help find a cure for breast cancer.
At select stores during Think Pink week in Waunakee, a portion of the proceeds from items purchased will go to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
The event kicks off Wednesday, July 13, from 7-10 p.m. at Kee-Kee Boutique, where customers have been invited to sip pink drinks, nibble pink snacks, and shop with personal stylists.
On Thursday, July 14, customers were invited to “pink out” the windows of Kee-Kee Boutique and the Red and White Wine Bar, purchasing pink ribbons to be displayed in the windows. Also that evening, Red and White Wine Bar will host a “Sparkle Night” with live music. Proceeds from all sales of a bottle of Prosecco rose go to the breast cancer foundation.
From July 13-16, Simply Unique is donating 10% of all sales to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and during those days customers can purchase ribbons to “pink out” the windows there.
Tanya Quint of Waunakee, who serves on the Susan G. Komen executive leadership committee with Kristie Pulvermacher, helped coordinate the Main Street event, working with women business owners at some of her favorite shopping destinations.
Quint said she saw the Think Pink events as “supporting women-owned businesses and these women supporting other women with Susan G. Komen,” she said.
She reached out to Anna Rush of Kee-Kee Boutique and Kari Heller of Red and White Wine Bar to host events.
Rush called the July 13 event a “fun ladies’ night out.” Information on breast cancer awareness will also be available.
“All of these businesses downtown are female based businesses all run by women. It’s always nice to give back to such an amazing cause,” Rush said. “We all know someone or love someone that has been dealing with some sort of female cancer or breast cancer.”
Kee-Kee Boutique will also sell Little Word Project Bracelets, meant to inspire, Quint said, calling them inspirational gifts for those in need of support.
“I had numerous friends, some who made it through their battle with cancer, and I had a couple of friends that unfortunately did not win their battle,” Quint said.
Quint, the daughter of Marie (LaBarge) Romero, grew up in Waunakee. She said a classmate in high school with a rare form of lung cancer later passed away in college.
Quint then earned her college degree in biochemistry and molecular biology.
“I ended up in the last 15 years or so trying to find a way to make an impact, and found a spot in the cancer diagnostic area, in working for two different companies,” Quint said. Both are startups developing early detection for colorectal and prostate cancer.
“So, I guess it’s just always been a space where I wanted to make a difference and try to detect cancer early, allowing time for treatment and more successful outcomes, and then thus keeping families together longer,” Quint said.
Think Pink events are also being planned in other communities, including in Middleton, at Blaze and Barriques, Quint said. She said the Waunakee Think Pink week is serving as a template for other smaller communities around Madison to host similar events.
The goal is also to get people out for the More than Pink Walk in Madison on Aug. 28, when it will return after two years of cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For information about Susan B. Komen and the More than Pink Walk, visit the website, visit komen.org.
