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Your local on-water assistance boat may look a little different this October, but it's for a good cause.
TowBoatUS Annapolis/Baltimore painted one of their towboats pink for October to remind boaters to get a mammogram.
Don't be alarmed if you see something a bit out of the ordinary on the water this fall. Five TowBoatUS ports around the U.S. turned their red towboats pink in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.
"It is a rare moment to see a pink boat on the water, let alone one that you have called to assist you with a routine breakdown," said John Condon, BoatUS vice president of Towing Services. "We want to use our boats to bring a message of education and awareness of this disease to those on the water to help save lives and find a cure. It has caused so much pain and anguish, not only within our fleet, but for our members as well."
The five TowBoatUS partners painting their boats pink include TowBoatUS Annapolis/Baltimore/Middle River, Maryland; TowBoatUS. Port Isabel, Texas; TowBoatUS Lake Wylie, South Carolina; TowBoatUS Long Beach, California; and TowBoatUS Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Captain Michael Booher of TowBoatUS Annapolis/Baltimore has several important reasons for going pink in October. "Breast cancer took my mother's life. My grandmother fought and won her battle. My sister took precautions by getting a double mastectomy. That's three generations of my own family affected by the disease," he says. "I personally have a mission to make sure people think about how to prevent breast cancer."
Take a look at the newly painted TowBoatUS Annapolis/Baltimore boat underway.
"When I heard about the company's initiative to bring awareness of breast cancer to our community, I jumped at the opportunity to be involved," said Lou Ann Strader of TowBoatUS Port Isabel. "My grandmother passed away from the disease in 1992. I lost so many memories we would have had together, and that weighs on me. I want people to remember that it's not just the disease they are fighting, but the mental health problems that can come with it. Our pink towboat becomes a vessel that could save lives through education of all different aspects of the disease."
BoatUS encourages members to donate to the Susan J. Komen organization, which supports breast cancer research, community health, global outreach, and public policy initiatives.