Pink Power

Left to right, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, Billy Taylor's Pink Corn Maze, and Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk/run are among the regional events celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Pink Power

The statistics are staggering: According to the American Cancer Society, about one in eight women in the United States will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. That puts most people in close proximity to someone who has, is, or will suffer from the disease. October is the month to raise awareness and money for the cause, so here are a handful of fund-raising events you can support to make a difference.

Ride for Pink
October 6 | Waynesville
Rev up your motorcycle for this two-hour ride starting at Smoky Mountain Steel Horses. Afterward, participants are invited to a celebration with barbecue, beer, and live music from Unit 50. Proceeds support MedWest’s Power of the Pink initiative, which provides education, free mammograms, and screenings to underserved women in Haywood County.
Smoky Mountain Steel Horses, 82 Locust Dr.; Saturday, registration 10:30 a.m.-noon, ride 12:30-2:30 p.m.; $25, $10 for additional rider; (828) 456-7692; www.rideforpink.com

Pink in the Park
October 6 | Asheville
Take steps toward the cure at this third annual fund-raiser walk at Biltmore Park Town Square. Proceeds help fund mammograms for low-income women in Western North Carolina through Asheville-based nonprofit Beauty Through Cancer as well as Ladies Night Out, a project of Mission Hospital, Asheville Breast Center, and Buncombe County Department of Health.
1 Town Square Blvd.; Saturday, registration 9 a.m., walk 10 a.m.-noon; $25; (828) 209-2000; www.biltmorepark.com/events/pink-in-the-park

Shining Soles Twilight 5K Run
October 20 | North Wilkesboro
The Wilkes Chamber of Commerce partners with the American Cancer Society to present this evening race along the Yadkin River Greenway. You can purchase one of the 500 luminaries that will line the path in honor of those whose lives have been affected by cancer. Choose between the noncompetitve fun run or 5K. E-mail Allison.reeves@cancer.org to purchase a luminary.
Brushy Mountain Dental, 1401 Willow Lane; Saturday, registration 5 p.m., fun run 6 p.m., 5K 7-9 p.m.; $25, $10 for luminary; (336) 838-8662; www.wilkesnc.org

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer
October 20 | Asheville
By participating in this 5K walk/run that starts in Pack Square Park, you’ll join eight million people across the country who, since 1993, have helped raise $460 million to fight breast cancer. Coffee and entertainment will be offered starting at 8:30 a.m. during registration, and race participants will receive a free long sleeve T-shirt. Cancer survivors can count on extra attention, including massage therapy and special drawings.
Pack Square Park, downtown; Saturday, registration 8:30 a.m., race 10 a.m.; $25; (828) 254-6931; www.stridesasheville.org

Komen NC Foothills Race for the Cure
October 27 | Hickory
Don your pink attire and join a team or race solo in this installment of Susan G. Komen 5K Race for the Cure. You can also opt for the one-mile fun run. Seventy-five percent of the proceeds fund breast cancer research, health education, and screening and treatment programs, and the remaining 25 percent goes toward Komen for the Cure Award and Research Grants programs.
Lenoir-Rhyne University, 7th Ave. N.E.; Saturday, registration 7-8:20 a.m., fun run 8:20 a.m., 5K 9 a.m.; $20-$30; (828) 328-2873; www.komenncfoothills.org

The entire family can support the cause, too. Every weekend in October, Taylor Ranch in Fairview hosts visitors to the region’s first Pink Corn Maze to raise money for Mission Hospital’s Breast Program. Read all about the activities in "A Growing Cause."