Rainiers and Carol Milgard Breast Center To Host 'Pink At The Park' This Saturday

TACOMA, Wash. -- The Tacoma Rainiers and Carol Milgard Breast Center (CMBC) have teamed up for a fourth consecutive season to host 'Pink at the Park' this Saturday, July 12th at Cheney Stadium - a benefit game devoted to raising money to fund mammogram screenings for medically underserved women in the South Sound.

This year's event begins when gates open at 6 p.m. for the Rainiers game against the Fresno Grizzlies. The first 3,000 fans arriving to the ballpark will receive limited edition pink trucker hats courtesy of CMBC. Pre-game activities will also include video testimonials of patients who have successfully defeated breast cancer and the formation of a 'Circle of Hope' around the pitcher's mound that will be comprised of breast cancer survivors and their friends and families. Survivors will release pink balloons symbolizing the release of fear and renewed hope for the future.

When the game gets underway at 7 p.m., each Rainiers player and member of the coaching staff will wear special pink jerseys in recognition of breast cancer patients and their families who have battled the disease. Each of the game-worn jerseys will be autographed and auctioned off as part of a live auction along the third base line of the stadium immediately following the conclusion of the game. Proceeds from the auction will go directly towards CMBC to support the breast center's continued efforts to provide sustainable breast health services for all women in the South Sound.

"Pink at the Park is our flagship fundraiser for the breast center," says Jackie Ostrom, executive director of CMBC. "The money raised during this event plays a key part in helping us fulfill our mission of treating all patients, regardless of their ability to pay." To date, CMBC has provided over $2.3 million in compassionate care services to medically underserved and underinsured patients in our community.

CMBC recently celebrated its fifth anniversary as the first dedicated breast imaging center in the South Puget Sound. Since welcoming its first patients on February 23, 2009, CMBC has provided more than 120,000 screening mammograms to women, and has performed more than 250,000 exams and procedures in total. The breast center's most important milestone, however, has been saving more lives through early detection. CMBC estimates it has diagnosed over 3,000 breast cancers in its first five years. "We're honored to be making a real difference in our community, because we know that early detection saves lives," says Khai Tran, M.D., medical director and visionary of the breast center.

Breast cancer continues to rank as the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women, with one in every eight women in the U.S. affected by the disease. Women whose breast cancer is detected at an early enough stage have been shown to have a 93 percent or more survival rate. The breast center supports screening guidelines established by the American Cancer Society, recommending that every woman 40 years of age and older receive a routine screening mammogram every year.

The Carol Milgard Breast Center is a non-profit organization whose mission to provide sustainable breast health services to all women in the South Sound is reliant upon support from the community. For additional information about the Carol Milgard Breast Center or to contribute a donation, please call (253) 759-2622 or visit CMBC online at www.carolmilgardbreastcenter.org.

To purchase tickets to the Rainiers 'Pink at the Park' game this Saturday or another upcoming Tacoma Rainiers game in 2014, please visit the team online at www.tacomarainiers.com, call 1-800-745-3000 or visit the Cheney Stadium Box Office located at the front entrance of the ballpark. Up-to-date news and notes about 'Pink at the Park' or any can be found at www.tacomarainiers.com and by following the Rainiers on Twitter (@RainiersLand) or liking the team on Facebook.