In conjunction with the Canadian Cancer Society, the Calgary Stampeders are excited to launch another year of PinkPower to support the battle against women’s cancers and help raise awareness.

PinkPower started as an initiative between the Canadian Cancer Society and the Calgary Stampeders in 2008. Since its inception, the program has become a successful league-wide campaign with all eight CFL teams involved in their own markets. This initiative helps raise awareness about women’s cancers and ultimately raises money for research.

The goal for this year’s PinkPower is to raise $50,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society and push the five-year total to more than $200,000.

Fans can get involved in a number of ways:

• Purchasing game tickets for the Oct. 20 game by visiting stampeders.com/promo and using the promotional code: GOPINK — $5 from each ticket sold will be donated directly to the Canadian Cancer Society
• Join the fight for life and donate directly at: http://www.fightforlife.ca/pinkpower
• On game day, look for members of the Canadian Cancer Society selling limited-edition PinkPower Calgary Stampeders gear including a scarf and two different toques. All merchandise is on sale for $20 per piece and the proceeds go directly to Canadian Cancer Society
• Follow Stampeders player Randy Chevier, the team spokesperson for PinkPower, on Twitter (@ChevySnaptime) for details about a special fundraising promotion
• After the game, visit the CFL auctions website for a chance to bid on one-of-a-kind, game-used balls and equipment

To help raise awareness, the Stampeders are using special pink avatars for their Twitter account and their Facebook page during the month of October. On Oct. 20, volunteers will be on the field holding a giant pink ribbon during the singing of the national anthem. 

Chevrier is his second season as the team’s spokesperson for the Canadian Cancer Society.

“This cause is very important to myself and many players in the CFL,” said Chevrier. “Involvement for me is deeply personal as my mom is a breast cancer survivor and I lost a dear cousin to cancer.”

PinkPower was initiated by Peni Hufnagel — wife of Stamps general manager/head coach John Hufnagel — in 2008.

“With early detection, breast cancer is more than 90 per cent beatable,” said Tiffany Kraus, marketing and communications manager for the Alberta/Northwest Territories branch of the Society, “and because of events like PinkPower, more people know to talk to their doctors. But much more than the statistics, beating cancer means not having to say goodbye to the women we love. That’s what PinkPower is about.”

This year, the Canadian Cancer Society is investing $2.7 million to support world-class breast cancer research projects across Canada, helping to better prevent, detect and treat patients. More than 23,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in Canada.

This year, and one in nine women have a chance of developing breast cancer in her lifetime.