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| THINKING PINK: The wife of Scott Collins, above right, is being treated for breast cancer. Collins, owner of Affordable Window Cleaning, and employees wear pink in October, and some profits will aid The Gift of Hope. |
For some South Florida business owners, battle against breast cancer is personal: Across the nation this month, businesses are rallying their employees and customers in the fight against breast cancer. For some owners, the cause is personal and workplace participation is that much more rewarding.
On a recent Monday morning, Scott Collins sat beside his wife, Lori, as she endured another round of chemotherapy to treat her breast cancer. He should have been out at a job site, supervising his team of window cleaners, but he knew they understood the competing demands on his time.
Throughout October, Collins’ employees are wearing pink shirts in support of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month as they disperse across South Florida. At the end of the month, Affordable Window Cleaning Co. in Davie will donate a percentage of its profits to The Gift of Hope, a South Florida foundation that helps local breast cancer patients with financial needs. “I want to support my wife in every way I can,” Scott says. “My crew understands that.”
Some owners, like Scott, start small, asking employees to wear pink clothing or ribbons and to get involved in fund-raisers. Others, like Rocco Mangel of the popular Rocco’s Tacos, rally customers in a bigger way. Mangel raised $32,000 last year from an October promotion in which a portion of Tuesday night proceeds at all five restaurants went to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. (Rocco’s girlfriend’s mother, whom he is close to, is now fighting her second battle with the disease.)
The efforts of both represent more than just fund-raisers or awareness events. For spouses and family members of breast cancer patients, these are a way to ease heartache or show solidarity. Some small-business owners gain emotional support from signing up employees for local Race for the Cure teams.
Some take other approaches. Oscar Padilla says the annual cut-a-thon his Kendall salon helps him feel like a doer. A decade ago, Padilla said, he was “devastated” when his mother died of breast cancer. The memories of her rapid decline still sting, he says. “Anything I can do to spread awareness is gratifying.”
Breast cancer remains the leading cancer killer among women ages 20 to 59; more than 1.4 million cases are diagnosed annually worldwide. It is a life-changing event with repercussions that extend beyond the disease and treatment, and affect those who act as a support system.
When encountering the work/life conflict that arises, it is employees, customers and supportive business partners who make a difference for business owners during the difficult months of treatment. One South Florida doctor left his practice after his partners complained he was spending too much time trying to keep alive his wife with late-stage breast cancer.
In his household, Collins has picked up more of the childcare responsibilities during Lori’s five-year battle with breast cancer: “I try to get home early when I can or drive the kids to school, anything I can do to help out.”
Collins says it is because he owns his business that he can be there for his wife during her treatments. Having his customers’ support has been huge: One gave him leeway on a bid deadline; others have donated to fund-raisers he and Lori have organized. Last year, their event at an Aventura store raised more than $3,000 for The Gift of Hope.
On a recent Monday morning, Scott Collins sat beside his wife, Lori, as she endured another round of chemotherapy to treat her breast cancer. He should have been out at a job site, supervising his team of window cleaners, but he knew they understood the competing demands on his time.
Throughout October, Collins’ employees are wearing pink shirts in support of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month as they disperse across South Florida. At the end of the month, Affordable Window Cleaning Co. in Davie will donate a percentage of its profits to The Gift of Hope, a South Florida foundation that helps local breast cancer patients with financial needs. “I want to support my wife in every way I can,” Scott says. “My crew understands that.”
Some owners, like Scott, start small, asking employees to wear pink clothing or ribbons and to get involved in fund-raisers. Others, like Rocco Mangel of the popular Rocco’s Tacos, rally customers in a bigger way. Mangel raised $32,000 last year from an October promotion in which a portion of Tuesday night proceeds at all five restaurants went to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. (Rocco’s girlfriend’s mother, whom he is close to, is now fighting her second battle with the disease.)
The efforts of both represent more than just fund-raisers or awareness events. For spouses and family members of breast cancer patients, these are a way to ease heartache or show solidarity. Some small-business owners gain emotional support from signing up employees for local Race for the Cure teams.
Some take other approaches. Oscar Padilla says the annual cut-a-thon his Kendall salon helps him feel like a doer. A decade ago, Padilla said, he was “devastated” when his mother died of breast cancer. The memories of her rapid decline still sting, he says. “Anything I can do to spread awareness is gratifying.”
Breast cancer remains the leading cancer killer among women ages 20 to 59; more than 1.4 million cases are diagnosed annually worldwide. It is a life-changing event with repercussions that extend beyond the disease and treatment, and affect those who act as a support system.
When encountering the work/life conflict that arises, it is employees, customers and supportive business partners who make a difference for business owners during the difficult months of treatment. One South Florida doctor left his practice after his partners complained he was spending too much time trying to keep alive his wife with late-stage breast cancer.
In his household, Collins has picked up more of the childcare responsibilities during Lori’s five-year battle with breast cancer: “I try to get home early when I can or drive the kids to school, anything I can do to help out.”
Collins says it is because he owns his business that he can be there for his wife during her treatments. Having his customers’ support has been huge: One gave him leeway on a bid deadline; others have donated to fund-raisers he and Lori have organized. Last year, their event at an Aventura store raised more than $3,000 for The Gift of Hope.
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