Rainiers, Carol Milgard Breast Center Team For ‘Pink At The Park’

TACOMA, Wash. — The Tacoma Rainiers and Carol Milgard Breast Center (CMBC) have teamed up for a fifth consecutive season to host ‘Pink at the Park’ this Sunday, August 9th at Cheney Stadium – a benefit game devoted to raising money to fund mammogram screenings for medically underserved women in the South Sound.

This year’s event begins when gates open at 12:30 p.m. for the Rainiers game against the Reno Aces. The first 3,000 fans arriving to the ballpark will receive limited edition Pink at the Park drawstring bags courtesy of CMBC. Pregame activities will also include video testimonials of patients who have successfully defeated breast cancer, and the formation of a ‘Circle of Hope’ around the pitcher’s mound comprised of breast cancer survivors and their friends and families. Survivors will release pink balloons symbolizing the release of fear and renewed hope for the future.

Rainiers players and coaches will wear special pink jerseys in recognition of breast cancer patients and their families who have battled the disease. Each of the game-worn jerseys will be autographed and auctioned off as part of a live auction held along the third base line of the stadium immediately following the conclusion of the game. Proceeds from the auction will go directly to CMBC in support of the organization’s continued efforts to provide sustainable breast health services for all women in the South Sound.

“Pink at the Park is our flagship fundraiser for the breast center,” says Jackie Ostrom, executive director of CMBC. “The money raised during this event plays a key part in helping us fulfill our mission of treating all patients, regardless of their ability to pay.”

To date, CMBC has provided over $2.67 million in compassionate care services to medically underserved and underinsured patients in our community.

CMBC recently celebrated its fifth anniversary as the first dedicated breast imaging center in the South Puget Sound. Since welcoming its first patients on February 23, 2009, CMBC has provided more than 120,000 screening mammograms to women, and has performed more than 300,000 exams and procedures. The breast center’s most important milestone has been saving lives through early detection. CMBC estimates it has diagnosed over 3,000 breast cancers in its first five years.

“We’re honored to be making a real difference in our community, because we know that early detection saves lives,” says Khai Tran, M.D., medical director and visionary of the breast center.

Breast cancer continues to rank as the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women, with one in every eight females in the U.S. affected by the disease. Women whose breast cancer is detected at an early enough stage have been shown to have a 93 percent or more survival rate. The breast center supports screening guidelines established by the American Cancer Society, recommending that every woman 40 years of age and older receive a routine screening mammogram every year.

The Carol Milgard Breast Center is a non-profit organization whose mission to provide sustainable breast health services to all women in the South Sound is reliant upon support from the community. For additional information about the Carol Milgard Breast Center or to contribute a donation, please call (253) 759-2622 or visit CMBC online at carolmilgarbreastcenter.org.

To purchase tickets to Pink at the Park game this Sunday, or any other upcoming Tacoma Rainiers game in 2015, please visit the team online at www.tacomarainiers.com, call 1-800-745-3000 or visit the Cheney Stadium Box Office located at the front entrance of the ballpark. Up-to-date news and notes about Pink at the Park or any other remaining Rainiers game can be found by following the Rainiers on Twitter (@RainiersLand) or liking the team on Facebook.