Gardeners and Garden Centers Unite To Find Cure for Breast Cancer

Online, March 15, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Keep an eye out for a "Pink Day" coming to a local garden center near you in the next several months.

The Invincibelle Spirit® Campaign, in partnership with Proven Winners® ColorChoice® and garden centers across the U.S. and Canada, is embarking on a fundraising effort in support of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). The centerpieces of the donation drive are "Pink Days" - locally organized fundraisers at garden centers, greenhouses and other retailers.

To raise money for breast cancer research, organizers are creating lively, fun events at local garden centers. In addition to helping a good cause, the "Pink Days" also drive traffic to the retailer. For more information on how to support the Invincibelle Spirit Campaign, visit http://invincibellespirit.net.

"A Pink Day gives retailers and plant shoppers an opportunity to be part of a national movement," said Kathy Garfield, a marketing specialist for Proven Winners ColorChoice and an organizer of the Invincibelle Spirit Campaign. "But it's also a chance to have fun and get creative in support of those touched by breast cancer. Our goal with the Invincibelle Spirit Campaign is to raise $1 million for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The Pink Days are the most visible form of the campaign, though we are also working on other ways to raise funds."

Garfield anticipates local garden centers will be providing refreshments, entertainment, games, contests and other draws to attract attendance to the Pink Day fundraisers. The events also encourage shoppers to dress up in outrageous pink outfits in a show of support. Garfield noted Creekside Nursery & Garden Centre in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada hosted a pink-themed party in June 2009 to support breast cancer research. Attendees of the event, both men and women, employees and customers, wore pink wigs, pink boas and pink ribbons to create a festive and fun atmosphere. Garfield believes the next round of Pink Days will likely be very similar to the event at Creekside.

"As part of the fundraiser, shoppers can buy pink-flowering plants to take home for their own gardens," said Garfield. "However, the focus of the Pink Day shouldn't just be on plant sales. It is as much about finding a fun way to show support for a great cause. The National Cancer Institute estimates one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime. This issue touches nearly all of us at some level, from mothers and daughters to friends and other family members. We are hoping everyone will have the chance to attend a Pink Day in their own hometown."

Garden centers hosting Pink Days are also featuring the Invincibelle® Spirit Hydrangea, the first-ever pink 'Annabelle' hydrangea, as part of the fundraising. For every Invincibelle Spirit Hydrangea sold at retail, $1.00 is being donating to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The new plant is the most reliable pink hydrangea available today, blooming year after year, even after the harshest of winters. At full maturity, it can produce over 100 large pink blooms from midsummer until frost.

Tim Wood, product development and marketing manager for Proven Winners ColorChoice, noted, "Plant buyers everywhere are choosing the Invincibelle Spirit Hydrangea to support breast cancer research, as well as to enjoy pink color all season long in their gardens and landscaping. The flowers of Invincibelle Spirit Hydrangea offer pink color in an 'Annabelle' for the first time, a quantum leap for Annabelle-type hydrangeas."

"The plant is a continuous bloomer, which means the hydrangea produces new flowers from mid-summer until frost. Extremely hardy and easy to grow, Invincibelle Spirit Hydrangea will bloom year after year without the special pampering required by other hydrangeas, an attractive quality for most gardeners and homeowners."

Because its flower buds are produced on new wood, Invincibelle Spirit Hydrangea will still produce flowers even if the stems die back to the ground by extreme weather or cold. The blooms remain pink all season, regardless of the soil's pH levels. The hydrangea (hydrangea arborescens 'NCHA1' ppaf, cbraf) is hardy in zones 3-9, taking sun to part shade.

For more information on how to organize a local Pink Party, visit http://invincibellespirit.net, or contact Kathy Garfield at [email protected] or (616) 223-3375.

The Invincibelle Spirit Campaign is also seeking support for a social media push to help raise funds online. Supporters are encouraged to promote local Pink Days using Facebook, Twitter and blogs, as well as including a fundraising widget on their websites to send contributions directly to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, available at http://www.invincibellespirit.net/Get_Involved.htm. The social media channels involved in this push include:

• Twitter: @Spring_Meadow and @Proven_Winners
• Facebook: facebook.com/pwcolorchoice
• Youtube: youtube.com/invincibellespirit

"We chose to affiliate with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation because the BCRF is the most highly-rated breast cancer organization in the U.S," said Wood. "The BCRF recently received the coveted top 4-star rating from Charity Navigator based on its ability to efficiently manage and grow its finances. The organization puts over 90% of all donations towards research grants and awareness programs to fight breast cancer. In addition to the $1 donation from every Invincibelle Spirit Hydrangea purchased, we are also encouraging supporters to make direct contributions to the BCRF."

The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (www.bcrfcure.org) is an independent, not-for-profit organization whose mission is to achieve prevention and a cure for breast cancer in our lifetime by providing critical funding for innovative clinical and translational research at leading medical centers worldwide.