Paint for Pink fundraisers spreading across the Okanagan

Wine, women and paint came together to fight breast cancer in the Okanagan.

Paint for Pink organizer Lynn Braakman was diagnosed with breast cancer six months after launching her company, Monet meets Merlot back in 2015. Three weeks later, her mother went for a mammogram and was told the same thing.

They battled cancer together, and that's when Braakman came up with a fun, painting fundraiser "to bring awareness to those checks and get to the doctors.”

“I think it’s so cool, there are so many ways that you can donate by just putting money into a jar, and that’s one-way, but this way you can interact, meet other survivors, meet people who care about breast cancer and finding a cure and just chat and have some fun," cancer survivor Brooke Bachmeier said at the Kelowna event at Earls restaurant.

Proceeds go to the Kelowna prosthetics and wig bank, located at the Kelowna cancer lodge. 

“Hair and prosthetics are very expensive, and not a lot of health care insurance companies cover it. When I leaned of the lodge here at the Canadian Cancer Society, they supply all of the wigs, completely volunteer driven," said Braakman.

“It’s almost like a library system, so you’re going to be taking the items that you need from the wig bank and the prosthetic bank, and when you don’t need them anymore, you can just bring them back ... I wanted to bring awareness to that.”

Braakman's husband, Perry, says the painting fundraiser concept "started off on a small scale, but it’s growing, and our goal really is to give back not only here in Kelowna, but you know we had a paint party in Regina, there were 40 people there. And I know Lynn’s mission is to spread the word, spread the good news and do it through Paint for Pink."

Braakman hopes to take the idea across Canada in support of the Canadian Cancer Society.

There are two more events, Oct. 23 in Vernon and Oct. 24 in West Kelowna. Book your tickets at paintforpink.ca.