Denversusan g. komenBreast Cancerbreast cancer awareness

Joan Lucas, Denver Woman, Has House Painted Hot Pink For Breast-Cancer Awareness

Pretty In Pink: House Painted For Good Cause
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In honor of breast cancer awareness month in October and the the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure this Sunday, a Denver woman has been named “volunteer of the year” by Yoplait Yogurt -- her award? House painted bright pink by Yoplait.

Fox31 reports that Joan Lucas started volunteering for Susan G. Komen 19 years ago after a friend was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. Lucas says of the time, “Twenty years ago nobody talked about breast cancer, there was no place to go.” So Lucas got involved.

Lucas is a long time supporter of breast-cancer awareness, according to The Denver Post, she is one of the women responsible for bringing the Race for the Cure to Denver 19 years ago. And she’s made a tremendous difference -- that first year of the race, about 3,200 people participated and $27,000 was raised for local causes.

This year, the Komen Race for the Cure is expected to draw around 50,000 people and raise more than $1 million dollars, according to the Komen Race for the Cure website.

To date, the Race for the Cure in Denver has raised $28 million for breast-cancer research in the Denver community.

Lucas's nearly two decades of dedication for breast-cancer awareness got Yoplait’s attention, so they started painting her house on Newton St. pink beginning at 6 a.m. on Wednesday morning, 9News reports. Yoplait’s goal is to remind everyone that breast cancer starts in our neighborhoods. The yogurt company has also donated more than $100,000 to the Denver chapter of Susan G. Komen’s Foundation.

Lucas’s house will be hot pink all through October and then go back to a more neighbor-friendly tan in September.

Yoplait is also running its “Save Lids to Save Lives” (SLSL) campaign in support of breast-cancer awareness month. Yoplait is putting pink lids on many of their products and will donate $.10 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure for each pink lid redeemed by Dec. 31, 2011 with hopes of raising $2 million for the cause. For more information about the Yoplait SLSL campaign, go to their website.

Visit the Komen Race for the Cure in Denver website for more information about signing up for the race.

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Before You Go

Pink House in Denver(01 of04)
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In this photo taken by AP Images for Yoplait, volunteers Rebecca Wallace, left, and mother Amy Wallace help paint a 19-year breast cancer volunteer's house pink as part of Yoplait's Save Lids to Save Lives campaign on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011, in Denver. Yoplait will donate $.10 to Susan G. Komen For the Cure for each pink lid redeemed at Yoplait.com and via mail by the end of the year up to $2 million. Funds generated through local lid collection will go back to community breast cancer programs. (Jack Dempsey / AP Images for Yoplait) (credit:AP)
Pink House in Denver(02 of04)
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In this photo taken by AP Images for Yoplait, local Denver resident Katie Driscoll helps paint a 19-year breast cancer volunteer's house pink as part of Yoplait's Save Lids to Save Lives campaign on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011, in Denver. Yoplait will donate $.10 to Susan G. Komen For the Cure for each pink lid redeemed at Yoplait.com and via mail by the end of the year up to $2 million. Funds generated through local lid collection will go back to community breast cancer programs. (Jack Dempsey/AP Images for Yoplait) (credit:AP)
Pink House in Denver(03 of04)
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In this photo taken by AP Images for Yoplait, breast cancer survivors Margo Medhaug, left, and Karla Kerr help paint a 19-year breast cancer volunteer's house pink as part of Yoplait's Save Lids to Save Lives campaign on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011, in Denver. Yoplait will donate $.10 to Susan G. Komen For the Cure for each pink lid redeemed at Yoplait.com and via mail by the end of the year up to $2 million. Funds generated through local lid collection will go back to community breast cancer programs. (Jack Dempsey / AP Images for Yoplait) (credit:AP)
Pink House in Denver(04 of04)
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In this photo taken by AP Images for Yoplait, Joanie Lucas, a 19-year breast cancer volunteer, shows off her newly painted pink house as part of Yoplait's Save Lids to Save Lives campaign on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011, in Denver. Yoplait will donate $.10 to Susan G. Komen For the Cure for each pink lid redeemed at Yoplait.com and via mail by the end of the year up to $2 million. Funds generated through local lid collection will go back to community breast cancer programs. (Jack Dempsey / AP Images for Yoplait) (credit:AP)
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