October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and many companies, individuals and organizations take this time to promote awareness and sell pink ribbons and other merchandise to raise money for breast cancer research. Breast Cancer Awareness Month was founded in 1985 by the American Cancer Society and Imperial Chemical Industries pharmaceutical Industries. The pink ribbon became its symbol in the early 1990s. Today, it is an international campaign organized by several major breast cancer charities The Federated Auto Parts racing team has teamed up with Ken Schrader Racing to promote breast cancer awareness by selling pink ribbons and racing in a special PINK car.
Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign
Although most people may not associate breast cancer awareness and motorsport racing, for Federated Auto Parts and Ken Schrader Racing, it only makes sense to promote awareness with racing. This year marks the fourth year that they have carried out this awareness campaign. The pink ribbons will be placed on the No. 52 Federated Auto Parts car, which will be driven by Matt Tifft in the ARCA race on October 3 at the Kansas Speedway. The proceeds from the ribbons will benefit the Breast Health Center at CMC Northeast in Concord, North Carolina.
The annual awareness event began when Ann Schrader, Ken Schrader’s wife, called Federated Auto Parts to discuss the PINK campaign, a campaign that meant a lot to her after losing a close friend, Lisa Meloni, to breast cancer in 2011. Meloni was a part of the motorsport community with many friends in racing, so it is fitting that her memory led to creating a breast cancer awareness campaign in the world of motorsport racing. After talking with Ann about the cause, Federated Auto Parts recognized the value of the cause, and knew it would be one supported by their members. They decided to implement the awareness campaign, and have plans to continue to do so in the future.
Ribbons for Awareness
The majority of the campaign focuses on interested parties buying the PINK ribbons that will be placed on the racecar in early October. Fans of the Ken Schrader Racing and Federated Auto Parts can visit www.givenortheastfoundation.org/donate to purchase a PINK ribbon for $10 a piece. During the purchasing process, there is a section to designate an organization, so a user needs to scroll down to Ken Schrader Racing. They can also select a name of their choice to be on the PINK ribbon, which will be on the car. This can be someone who has been affected by breast cancer.
Tifft, the driver of this car on which the ribbons will be placed, says, “I’m very proud to be running a PINK federated car in the ARCA race. When I learned the significance behind the PINK ribbons on the car, it became clear that the Schrader team and the Federated Auto Parts are truly dedicated to the fight against breast cancer.”
More than just Ribbons
The team does more than just sell the pink ribbons as part of the breast cancer awareness month campaign. They also use special PINK car wraps and sell PINK racing merchandise to further raise funds for breast cancer research. These funds also go to the Breast Health Center at CMC Northeast. To purchase other PINK merchandise, you can visit Annie’s Attic on the Ken Schrader Racing Facebook Page. Annie’s Attic helps to fundraise for charities and friends in need.
Federated Auto Parts is one of the largest distribution ad marking organizations for auto parts in North America, and the Federated Racing Team is a well-recognized team in the racing community. They feel that this recognition provides them with an outlet to promote a worthwhile cause.
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