A pink toilet has been making its way around Mamou and it’s all to raise awareness for breast cancer. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and the small community is taking a unique approach to raising awareness.
“It definitely has a claim to fame in Mamou,” Mamou High School Principal Liz Chatelain said. “The look of the toilet definitely gets everyone attention.”
That’s the goal of the Flush Out Cancer fundraiser. It’s not your typical décor. Ten colorful toilets are making their rounds of the town to raise money for cancer patients. The toilets have been moved about 100 times.
The price ranges from $10 to $30 to either send the toilet to someone else or move it from your home.
“It’s a game,” organizer Phyllis Solieau said. “They send it back and forth to each other. Three or four times.”
Organizers say they raise thousands of dollars each year. That money goes right back to their Savoy Cancer Center and their patients.
“We have people in this small rural community that have cancer and they’re suffering,” John Pitre of Savoy Medical Center said. “Their expenses are high. Here at Savoy Medical Center, we can treat them locally. They can have some of those funds and out of pocket expenses taken care of.”
Chatelain added, “It’s absolutely famous. If you don’t get flushed you kind of feel left out.”
The fundraiser lasts until October 13, which is the same day as the community’s breast cancer walk. The walk starts at 8:00 a.m. in downtown Mamou.
