We Support Women and Their Families, Not Causes.
Pink Heals Joliet Area Chapter
We fundraise for people, not causes. We put love and hope first and money second.
Please help us send HAPPY BIRTHDAY wishes to our SECRETARY (aka PITA), EMILY today!!!! Emily has been part of our Pink Heals family since December 2013. She has grown up in this organization.. and we could not be more proud of her!!! HAPPY 24th BIRTHDAY EMILY…. WE LOVE YOU!! 💗🎊
Join us TOMORROW Saturday, November 9th at Sadie West in Shorewood from 11am to 3pm!!! Sadie will be donating a portion of the sales to PINK HEALS!! THANK YOU!! Hope to see you there!! 💗
This post. I have been putting this post off since October 17th. I have started and stopped more times than I can count. I just wanted it to be done right. 💗😭. (FYI.. this will be a long post).
This journey started several months ago. We knew (VERY reluctantly) that we needed to retire ADDISON. She is from 1982. They do not make parts for her anymore.. and it wasn’t safe for her to be on the road. We pushed it off for the last two years, only allowing Casey and Mike to drive her. We really wanted ADDISON to be at Rori’s Senior Year PINK OUT game.. as well as Quinn and Jackson’s freshman year at MCHS.
The timing needed to be absolutely perfect… between ADDISON’S last public event and to then be able to dismantle (😭) her to give parts of her to the Locke family on October 17th (the annual West vs Central VB game). MCHS was WONDERFUL by working with me and allowing the PINK OUT Game to be held on October 4th. We then knew we had about 7-10 days to get her ready before the 17th.
We did a private farewell and send off for ADDISON on Saturday, October 5th with the Locke family and their family, friends and Pink Heals family. Thank you to all who joined us on that very special night.. and to WESCOM and to John with Band of Brothers, who gave ADDISON the most memorable sign off… ever. 💗😭
After that… was crunch time. We are truly so blessed to be surrounded by our GREAT friends and local business partners that worked their tails off to get ADDISON taken care of (and quickly). I am not sure I can accurately put into words how this worked out so perfectly and how everyone involved did what needed to be done for this to happen. 💗😭
First.. to my AMAZING (little) husband, Casey. This happened because of YOUR hard work and the willingness to move everything around (in the middle of your very busy schedule!!). This could not have been done without you. Thank you. SO MUCH. (More to share below)💗
Next.. to our AWESOME Partners with allamericanrecycles!!! On Monday, October 7th… Casey drove ADDISON (with no doors or mirrors😬) to AAR… where they took painstakingly great care of ADDISON. They removed the front of her that Addison and the Locke family signed. They did an AMAZING job!!! We are SO GRATEFUL for Pat and everyone at AAR!!! We knew that ADDISON was in the best possible hands. 💗
Once they were done, Casey went back later that week to pick up the front of ADDISON and drop off to our friends at FAB WERKS, INC in Crest Hill. WOW!! They cleaned up the front of ADDISON and made her A LOT lighter!! THANK YOU to Kenny, Rebecca and KC Krier for your wonderful support and partnership!! We are SO THANKFUL for you!! 💗
Once the front of ADDISON was back to CAMZ Communications, Inc., the hard work began. ADDISON needed to be reassembled with her lights and panels. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I watched how difficult that was…and knowing how much we needed it done… they never gave up!💗
While all this is going on… the bell that was on ADDISON was with our friend, Zach Sackman with SB CUSTOM FAB and WELDING, who made a beautiful base for ADDISON’S bell. THANK YOU!💗
Lastly, a HUGE THANK YOU to Tim at Harmonic Design Inc. who did the lettering last minute on the bell (when the engraved plaque I ordered didn’t look right). We are SO GRATEFUL for your partnership and friendship. THANK YOU!!💗
It all came together right before we needed to be at Joliet Central on October 17th.
A very SPECIAL SHOUT OUT and THANK YOU to our friends at Joliet Central… especially Terry and Kevin, who went above and beyond to allow all of this to happen. Terry… who got some of his students to help move the front of ADDISON (very heavy) out of Casey’s truck and keep the front hidden from everyone at the games. Terry was INCREDIBLE at keeping us (me) calm while we were waiting for the reveal and gift to the Locke family. 💗
ADDISON is now where she belongs… with her family. THANK YOU ADDISON for your 11 years of Service with PINK HEALS and our wonderful community. We were incredibly honored to carry your name and legacy.💕
THANK YOU ALL just does not seem like enough words to describe how blessed we are to have you all in our lives. #D4A💗🐞
Love to all,
Angie
Happy National Pink Heals Day!!! 💗💕
WHAT AN INCREDIBLE MORNING!!! We are still SPEECHLESS!!! Please help us give a HUGE THANK YOU to our AMAZING friends at Minooka Intermediate School and Minooka Junior High School!!! WOW!! Together these two schools raised over $15,500 for PINK HEALS!!! A very special THANK YOU to the Administration, Faculty, Staff, Students and Parents in Minooka CCSD 201!! OUTSTANDING!! We are SO grateful to have such wonderful community support!!! Also…THANK YOU to our great friend, Nicole (and her awesome staff), at Chasing T’s InKooperated, LLC!!! We LOVE you all!!! 💗💕
Our Mission
As the Pink Heals Joliet Area Chapter, we use the color Pink not for breast cancer but because it is the color of women! To us, it should not matter what type of illness she or her family has. We as a society have become such a caused based society, when the time has come that we all become people based. Our slogan and mission is simple.
Our Vision
Pink Heals is targeting people not diseases. Although our main focus is the fight against cancer, we are here to serve those in need, no matter the illness. We are setting the example by being a true non-profit. 100% of every single fundraised dollar stays right here in the community. We are all volunteers, even at the National level. We are truly a movement for the people by the people. We are providing an environment through the pink fire trucks that is about love and hope first and about money second. Our pink fire trucks and pink police cars inspire; they bring the feel of love and caring right to the doorsteps of those in need. We team up with the community’s local police and fire departments, show up with lights and sirens, and deliver flowers, inspiration, support, love and sometimes financial help to those in need.
Pink Heals Tour
Pink Heals National Tour
“The Pink Heals Tour” and the “Cares Enough to Wear Pink” program is about our community, our family, our neighbors, and our leaders and how it will help bring us back together to focus on our own people now, rather than on promises that were never kept, opportunities that were lost, and things that might have been. Pink will heal as long as we do it in service to our women and what they mean to us in our communities, not just because they are sick or stricken with cancer. Because if we use illness as the sole motivation for action, once the sickness is gone, so is our cause for coming together.”
Dave Graybill (Pink Heals Founder)
Our Story
Matt Fleck, a Joliet firefighter, and his wife Sandra, a market leader for Heartland Bank and Trust, were tired of writing checks to large organizations and not knowing where the money went. Sandra’s sister and mother are both cancer survivors, and they witnessed firsthand how cancer can strike. Matt and Sandra wanted to give back to their local community, and they wanted to ensure the funds went to people who actually needed help. In 2012, the Pink Heals Tour made a stop in Joliet at their request. There were over 1,000 people in attendance for the first Pink Heals Event in Joliet. The event raised $12,000, and they were able to give the earnings to a local cancer treatment center.
In January 2013, Matt and Sandra formed the Joliet Area Chapter along with Casey and Angie Caldwell, Chris Baltz, Alyssa Cicero and Dawn Bluemke. We are grateful for their help along the way!
The last seven years have been amazing. We currently have 3 Pink Vehicles, ADDISON, TINA and KRIS. The growth of our organization would not be possible without the help of our volunteers and the amazing community support. The start of our Annual Mother’s Day Walk in 2015 has helped us continue our Mission…Spreading love, hope, hugs and support to those battling in our community. Thank you for your continued support! We could not do this without all of you!
