Pink Heals raising funds, hope

TIFFIN - They call it Pink Heals. They raise money and give back to the community.

A pink firetruck goes from city to city, town to town, community to community, with people writing names on the side or any spot they can find to honor someone who is battling cancer, survived cancer or died from cancer.

As a non-profit organization, any money the Pink Heals raise from sales of T-shirts, sweat shirts, wrist bands, etc., goes to any maintenance the truck needs then to the community they are traveling through.

I was at an Emergency Medical Service conference in Dubuque, helping my mom at the Unity Point Health lifeGuard booth. While I was there, I got the full story of Pink Heals, thoughts on the truck and some other insights on what they do.

Firefighters take time off to travel with the truck to raise money for someone who has cancer or the community itself.

Steve Rusin, the brains behind the Northern Illinois chapter truck, told me over the course of four years this specific truck has raised $5 million.

'It's made a big impact on me, too,” he said.

'We mow lawns, give kids rides to school or even to their treatment. Anything to brighten their day a little easier,” truck volunteer Andy Russell said.

Russell has been with the truck for four years and said the group will do 'anything to make life a little easier” on cancer patients.

'I think the truck is awesome,” Russell said. 'It's made a huge impact on me. There's several people I've met and several signatures that I could point out from hearing their stories and what they went threw.”

'The whole point is to keep thing local.”

It started with one man in Arizona, with one truck donated by the community. It's turned into a national campaign with 75 trucks running.

It's an amazing thing - the things they do to make a child smile or for someone who needs financial help. Pink Heals will be there.

I signed the truck for family members and it is the coolest thing knowing something small can have such a huge impact.

If a Pink Heals truck makes it to your community, take a minute and listen to the stories - the story behind the truck and the miracles these people have done.

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