Richland Pink Party for A Cure auction set Saturday

RICHLAND ? The Richland Pink Party for A Cure?s annual charity auction is set for Saturday at Mother Cabrini Hall in Richland.

A freewill breakfast will start at 7 a.m.

The celebration auction starts at 9:30 a.m.

Some of the items up for auction are: a one night stay at Riverside Casino, with two lunch buffets; an Iowa State University cotton quilt; kitchen gadgets in a crock; a 12-inch crescent wrench; a 30-minute session at Spotlight Photography; and more.

The proceeds from the annual auction stay in the community.  October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the proceeds from the auction, T-shirt sale and free-will offering breakfast will go back to patients undergoing treatment and two offered scholarships. 

Recipients of the Richland Pink Party for a Cure scholarships in 2010 were Jane Shepard and Lyndsay Veenstra.

Shepard, a legal secretary in Ottumwa for 19 years began the part-time nursing program in 2007. She had the experiences of caring for a family member who was diagnosed with breast cancer and is now a survivor. She also worked in the Ottumwa Regional Health Center?s health promotions department. She will graduate as a registered nurse in August. Her plans are to continue to work for the health promotions department assisting others in making healthy lifestyle choices and changes.

She and husband Kevin Shepard live in Ottumwa.

Veenstra plans to graduate in November, with a degree in nursing from Indian Hills Community College. After receiving her RN, Veenstra would like to go on to William Penn University and receive her bachelor?s degree in nursing. 

Veenstra has worked caring for others as a certified nurses aid and as a babysitter. When one of her favorite care-givers was diagnosed with breast cancer, Veenstra was there for her and has remained a loyal supporter through out this woman?s fight.

Veenstra is married to Mitchel Veenstra.   

  Richland Pink Party for a Cure is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2008 in Richland by Darcy Hackert, Kathy Coleman and Sandy Williams. The group raises money for breast cancer patients in Jefferson, Keokuk, Mahaska, Wapello and Washington counties and has awarded two scholarships to help those entering a medical field that have been affected by breast cancer in some manner.