October is breast cancer awareness month and pink ribbons are not the only thing mid-staters are sporting. Pennsy employees wore pink and drove pink concrete mixing trucks in the first ever Pennsy Pink Parade as part of the “Paving PA Pink” campaign.

The ceremonial parade, which included four pink trucks, began at City Island and continued across the Market Street Bridge and into downtown Harrisburg, where it ended with a check presentation at the Harrisburg Hilton. To kick off the PA Breast Cancer Coalition’s (PBCC) breast cancer awareness conference, Barry Duffy, general manager of Pennsy Supply, presented the pink check for a total of $5000 to the PA Breast Cancer Coalition (PBCC), which represents monies raised by Pennsy Supply employees.

Pennsy initially kicked off the unique two-month campaign on September 1 at Commerce Bank Park before the Senator’s vs. Reading game. Since then, Pennsy has been featuring the trucks at various company events to garner additional support from employees and clients. A campaign website, www.pavingPApink.com, was created for receiving donations from the general public.

While breast cancer is still considered a woman’s disease, breast cancer statistics also include men. Regardless of age, gender or other demographics, every breast cancer diagnosis impacts individuals and their family, friends and community in profound ways. This all-inclusive message is one of the reasons Pennsy,

with a largely male workforce, decided to develop the “Paving PA Pink” campaign. The campaign is a natural choice for Pennsy, a part of the Mid-Atlantic Group of Oldcastle Materials -- the company’s 500+ employees actively support more than 21 organizations through volunteer efforts.

“The PA Breast Cancer Coalition is doing wonderful things in terms of educational programs, advocacy and support for breast cancer survivors in Pennsylvania. We hope this unprecedented approach of pink trucks will raise more awareness and support for what the Coalition is doing,” said Randy Lake, president of the Mid-Atlantic Division of Oldcastle Materials. “Breast cancer affects all of us, either through our own personal experience or through the experience of someone we know and love. Pennsy wants to get as many people involved as possible in supporting survivors and their families.”