ESCANABA — Eight individuals and one business are raising funds to fight breast cancer during October through the Real Yoopers Wear Pink campaign.

The Real Yoopers Wear Pink campaign is part of the national American Cancer Society fundraising campaign, Real Men Wear Pink, but is specific to the Upper Peninsula.

Throughout October, Real Yoopers Wear Pink candidates will raise funds and awareness through events and parties, workplace initiatives, social media campaigns, and much more.

Lacey Prestay, an exercise physiologist at OSF Hospital, is participating in the campaign again this year and is raising money in Delta and Menominee counties.

Prestay explained she is extremely passionate about the American Cancer Society’s work as her family has been heavily impacted by breast cancer and other cancers.

She said four of her close relatives had breast cancer and one had ovarian cancer.

“Regardless of the type of cancer, there are so many people that are being affected by this,” Prestay said. “And for my family, personally, it’s breast and ovarian cancer with the BRCA1 mutation, but … I had an aunt that had colon cancer and my grandma had passed away from colon cancer.”

Prestay, now 28, tested positive for the BRCA1 mutation when she was 24 and had preventive double mastectomy with reconstruction surgery in order to decrease her risk of having breast cancer.

She explained she really wants to raise awareness about the genetic aspect of cancer and create a world without cancer.

“I would love to see a world without cancer in my lifetime. To do this, funds need to be raised for research, as well as awareness and action plans to finally have a cure,” Prestay said.

The campaign is still fairly new — last year being its first year ever. Through the efforts of local U.P. residents, the Real Yoopers Wear Pink campaign was able to raise $26,492. This year, the campaign has a goal to raise $50,000.

“Last year I raised $8,300 and this year my goal is $10,000,” Prestay said.

Prestay explained there’s a misconception about the campaign that the fundraising doesn’t help local people.

She said fundraising for American Cancer Society helps all Michigan residents, including the U.P., and beyond.

The campaign provides an opportunity for Yoopers to raise funds and awareness for the ACS’s breast cancer initiatives, including funding for research and support services in Michigan.

“Michigan also has over $14 million in research grants (through the ACS),” Prestay said. “So if we want a world without cancer there has to be some sort of research that’s being able to be done.”

Besides research, the ACS provides supportive services like transportation to treatment facilities, peer support for those facing a breast cancer diagnosis, free wigs to a cancer patient in need, lodging for cancer patients while traveling for treatment, and local and national support resources for patients and caregivers.

Prestay said, in 2018, ACS provided 150 nights of lodging at the ACS’s Hope Lodge for Delta County residents.

She added people can call American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345, which is a 24/7 help-line for support services.

Through the help of local businesses and community members, Prestay has six different avenues for fundraising.

She is raising funds through T-shirt sales again this year; there will be T-shirts, long sleeve T-shirts, crew neck and hooded sweatshirts available for purchase. This year the shirts will be available in more colors and have a new design.

Even though over 300 shirts were sold last year, Prestay said she is hoping these changes will appeal to even more people.

To help simplify the process, people interested in purchasing shirts can go to Northern Screen Printing and Embroidery to order, she said.

Also like last year, Prestay is hosting an online auction through Facebook.

She said items have been donated from various local businesses and community members and the auction can be found by searching 2019 Real Yoopers Wear Pink Auction.

According to the auction’s Facebook page, the auction won’t be live until Oct. 13.

Similar to last year, Prestay will have a bake sale and pop can drive at Fazer’s, a local grocery store in Powers, on Oct. 19. However, Prestay said if anyone is interested in donating to the cause ahead of time to contact her.

Three new avenues of fundraising are through partnerships with the local PM School, a Norwex seller and Blue 6 Laser Engraving.

The PM School helped out with fundraising for the campaign last year, Prestay noted, however this year they are donating $5 of every haircut throughout October back to the fundraiser.

She said 30 percent of the sales from the Norwex party will be donated back to the campaign.

Blue 6 Laser Engraving, owned by Jess Groleau, created a tumbler, wine glass and pint glass for the campaign efforts. Prestay said Groleau is providing $20 of the $30 tumblers sales and $10 of the $15 wine and pint glasses sales back to the fundraiser.

Prestay expressed gratitude for all the support from local businesses and community members.

“I’m hoping it does really well this year,” she said.