What's New?!

February 2010
Pink Wings has been up and running for over 8 years now. We started with just a few pink ribbon items on our website in 2002, and now have hundreds of awareness items to choose from. I am proud to say that most of the product on the site continues to be designed and made exclusively for Pink Wings. We have nearly 200 original pink ribbon lapel pins, with many of the designs now being offered in teal, blue and purple ribbon. Our pin collection includes our fantastic and ever growing Sports Girl Pink Ribbon Pin Collection where you are sure to find something for every girl in your life.  New to the site in just the last few months, the Sport Girl Snow Skier and Belly Dancer pink ribbon pins, Boobies Make Me Smile and I Survived the 3-Day Walk and I Survived the Avon Walk pink ribbon pins. The popular Motorcycle Pink Ribbon pin is now available in blue, teal, purple and yellow (support the troops).  These motorcycle pins are sold at many Harley Davidson stores throughout the country including Wild Fire Harley and Oak Lawn Harley in Chicago.  Our Camo crystal pink ribbon shirt is coming in larger sizes this year. Due to popular demand, it will now go up to size 2XL.  Our Faith Pink Ribbon shirt is sure to be a hit at our upcoming events with the burn out pink ribbon fabric that is all the rage.  Check out our Black Fleece Jacket with embroidered Paisley Ribbon or Plain pink ribbon. This has been a crowd pleaser all winter. It is so soft and warm and will be a must have for training walks, Race for the Cure events, Avon Walks, 3-Day Walks and Relay for Life events. I call mine my trophy jacket and have all my 3-Day walks embroidered on the back and my name on the front. Pink Wings added our first Pink Ribbon Fund Raising Kit to the website this year and it is already a huge hit. Look for other fund raising kits to be added throughout the year.  We are retiring some pins and shirts this year. Be sure to get yours before they are gone!

DONATIONS

Courtney, her family, and Pink Wings have now donated nearly $200,000 for breast cancer research and education through various non-profit organizations including, but not limited to:

• Susan G. Komen
• Avon Foundation
• American Cancer Society
• Young Survival Coalition
• FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered)
• Entertainment Industry Foundation
• Dr. Susan Love Foundation
• weSPARK Cancer Support Center
• Pink Ribbon Club Foundation
• Linda L. Vladyka Breast Wellness Foundation
• Soroptimist of Albany Walk for the Cause

Courtney has also donated countless Pink Wings Pink Ribbon gift baskets, Lapel Pins and Tattoos to various organizations and individuals raising funds and awareness for Breast Health.

FORCE

Courtney and her sister Erin are the Oregon Coordinators for FORCE. Because of FORCE and the knowledge I have from attending the FORCE conferences and reading the FORCE message board, I made the decision to have a prophylactic mastectomy in 2007. My sister had both of her breasts removed later that year and then had her ovaries removed to lower her risk of breast and ovarian cancer due to her BRCA2 status.  

EVENTS

Courtney keeps busy throughout the year participating in various walks for cancer with and without her family:

In July 2009, Courtney walked alongside her 15-year-old daughter Sedona in the Boston Breast Cancer 3-Day. Sedona was part of the opening and closing ceremonies, carrying the For My Mother flag. Courtney joined Sedona onstage for closing ceremonies as her honoree. This was an important walk for Courtney. It was her 10th 3-Day Walk, her 10th year walking and she was now over 10 years cancer free. Courtney’s Pink Wings team was 21 members strong (and yes- we all wore Pink Wings) and raised nearly $48,000 for the Susan G. Komen Boston Breast Cancer 3-Day. We were the 3rd largest team and raised the 4th highest amount of money. Courtney and Sedona chopped off their hair to donate to Locks of Love on Sunday morning at the 3-Day walk. You can see a photo of this on the front page of the Pink Wings website.

In September, Pink Wings had a team at the Portland, Oregon Race for the Cure. I love this event because my little ones can walk with me!  This was our 4th year participating in the Race for the Cure with my sister and her family.  We had 15 members on the team again this year. We all wore camo pink ribbon shirts and hats and Pink Wings Pink Ribbon bandanas. It is amazing to think that the 3, 6 and 7-year olds can walk over 3 miles on these events. The great entertainment along the way sure helps out! My favorite again this year was the “One of a Kind Drum Line”. The leader of the band gave drum sticks to my daughters again this year and to their cousins. This makes their day and they absolutely cherish those drum sticks!  We always end the walk with an amazing breakfast together. I can’t wait for September to participate in the Walk for the Cure again! The kids look so cute in their Pink Wings!

In October Pink Wings had a booth at the Albany Walk for the Cause. As I was out of town, my daughter set up and ran the booth for me. She did a great job and I will have to remember to have her do this for me more often! I also had a Pink Wings booth at the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Conference for the 6th year in a row. I love this event because I get to stay with a young breast cancer survivor named Debra. She was my roommate in Sri Lanka and lives in Harrisburg, PA where the conference is held.

Pink Wings will be participating in many events throughout 2010:

In February, Pink Wings will have a booth at the Young Survivor Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. This is a fantastic conference for those diagnosed with cancer at a young age (40-45 or younger).

In March, Pink Wings will have a table at a Team Captain meeting in Los Angeles.

In April, Pink Wings will be in Louisville, Kentucky for the Essentially Women Focus on the Future Tradeshow. I also hope to have a booth at the Annual National African American Breast Cancer Conference in Houston, Texas April 8th and 9th.

In May, Pink Wings will have a booth at various events in Los Angeles.

In June, Pink Wings will have a booth at the Annual FORCE conference in Orlando, Florida. This is a one of a kind conference for BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutation carriers or for those from high risk families of Breast and/or Ovarian Cancer. It is a great place to speak to the doctors in person, to meet other survivors and previvors, and to hear about the latest in treatments, surgeries, etc.
In June, Pink Wings will also have a booth at the International Dragon Boat Festival in Peterborough, Canada. I love getting the chance to go out of the country with Pink Wings and am excited to be in Canada again.  

In September, Pink Wings will have a booth at the Susan G. Komen Health Expo in Portland, Oregon.

In October Pink Wings will have a booth at the Albany Walk for the Cause and the Salem Discover Pink Walk. Also in October, Pink Wings will have a booth at the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Conference in Harrisburg, PA and in Tampa, Florida at the FACTOR’s Breast Cancer Conference.

Courtney’s story has now been published in the book: Foot Soldier’s Stories of the Breast Cancer 3-Day (the Los Angeles chapter) and in the FORCE newsletter (September issue), Mom Magazine (Sept. /Oct. issue), and Mamm Magazine (Sept. /Oct. issue). She is also in the beautiful coffee table hardback book titled Lives Inspired: Portraits of Breast Cancer Survivors and is quoted in the book, I Am Not My Breast Cancer.

As you can see, things have been pretty busy for Pink Wings. I can only hope we keep as busy in 2010!  Thanks to you, my customers for helping to keep the dream of Pink Wings alive during this recession. 2009 was actually a record breaking year for Pink Wings website sales.

If you would like to learn more about any of the events that Pink Wings will be attending, please go to the Links page or Upcoming Events page on my website. Most of these events have web sites that I am linked up to. If you know of a gift store or a breast cancer center that you would like to see carry Pink Wings product, please have them check out the Pink Wings site or email me with their name and number. If you know of an upcoming event that you would like to see a Pink Wings booth at, please contact me at courtney@pinkwings.com If you need a speaker at an upcoming event- feel free to contact me. Have a great year and thank you for joining Pink Wings in raising awareness and money for Breast Health Awareness!

 

Courtney Zinszer
2-time Breast Cancer Survivor
Owner and Founder
www.Pinkwings.com
Phone: 310-663-0482