October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, marked by pink ribbons and a community of caregivers and survivors taking a stand in the fight against breast cancer. In 1993, the inaugural Power of Pink! event was held in Lufkin and has been going strong ever since.

The background of the Power of Pink! banquet and fundraiser is woven through love and caring. In the mid-1990s, Lufkin's Jan Moore was diagnosed with breast cancer. The disease would eventually take her life. Her close friends wanted to do something to honor Jan's life and fight, so they organized the first Power of Pink! event to help support Temple Cancer Center and to help raise money for cancer patients, especially breast cancer patients.

The 2022 Power of Pink! banquet will be held on Thursday, October 20 at the Pitser Garrison Civic Center in Lufkin, and it is sponsored by St. Luke's Health-Memorial. The event gets underway at 11:30 am and is scheduled to run until 1 pm. Individual tickets are on sale for $40, while a reserved table for ten costs $500.

A delicious meal served in a custom lunch bag will be offered, plus, this year's guest speaker is J.B. Smith. The former Smith County Sheriff is the author of two true crime books, a national motivational speaker, an Emmy Award recipient for his TV production on Texas Heritage, and a humorist who firmly believes that 'Laughter is Lawful'.

It was an act of endless love that brought about Power of Pink! Since 1993, proceeds from this banquet have helped educate thousands of women about the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, early detection, and treatment options.

Tickets are available at the Gift Shop at St. Luke's Health-Memorial in Lufkin, Connie & Crew Hair Salon on Chestnut, or you can call Tina Alexander-Sellers at 936-639-7676.

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