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Turlock fire fighters ready to turn town pink
pink pic
The Turlock Fire Fighters 2434 union will be wearing and selling the pink T-shirts for breast cancer awareness. From left to right, Fire fighter Dale Melden, Engineer Kevin Tidwell, and Capt. Frank Saldivar show off the new 2014 design for the shirts. - photo by KRISTA MESSER/The Journal

As the fall season arrives more people will be adding warm golds, maroons, and oranges to their wardrobes, but in Turlock the color of the moment will be pink.

October will herald in the third year for the Turlock Firefighters 2434 union pink T-shirt campaign to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research through the Bill and Elsie Ahlem Cancer Endowment.

The firefighters will be donning the newly designed 2014 pink T-shirts through the month of October in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness.

The community can help support the efforts by purchasing and wearing the T-shirts as well. T-shirts can be pre-ordered through the union’s website at www.turlockfirefighters.org. The shirts also will be sold in October at Bella Forte and Crivelli’s Shirts and More, both in downtown Turlock, and the gift shop at Emanuel Medical Center.

Last year the fire fighters campaign brought in $14,000 for cancer research.

“We have been extremely successful with the campaign and that is a testament to our community,” said Turlock Fire Fighter Dale Melden.

The fire fighters union also will be selling the T-shirts at every Turlock Farmers Market in October and at their Chili’s fundraiser set for Oct. 16.

Also returning this year is the organization’s Pink Helmet Award. The Pink Helmet Award will be to be presented to someone whose life has been touched by cancer and who represents the characteristics of a firefighter— compassion, bravery, honesty, commitment and courage. Nominees must be residents of Stanislaus or Merced counties.

Nomination forms can be downloaded and submitted online at www.turlockfirefighters.org through midnight on Monday.

“Last year we presented our first-ever Pink Helmet Award to Aimee Kinsfater, a caregiver for her grandmother Rosie who battled cancer,” said Kevin Tidwell, Turlock Firefighters, Local 2434 member. “We had a very difficult time selecting just one, because the truth is, every one of the nominations exhibited the characteristics of courage, bravery, and commitment.”

The Turlock Firefighters will present the Pink Helmet award at Emanuel Cancer Center’s Women’s Cancer Awareness Night Out on Oct. 7.

The Ceres and Keyes fire departments also will be selling their own pink T-shirts in October.