On Wednesday, a kick-off was held for this year’s Paint the Town Pink, which is also the 10th annual event.

This fundraiser, which to date has raised $1.77 million for breast cancer research and other kinds of cancer research, has been a yearly example of what a community can do when it works together.

The Austin Bruins were the initial foundation of this movement when in 2011 the first Paint the Rink Pink was held, raising $23,000 through its jersey auction. From there,  it transitioned into Paint the Town Pink and has grown by leaps and bounds, featuring a steady mix of old and new events to further increase the money raised.

Working toward a cure starts with two things: the research and the will to fight. Austin and the surrounding area, through drives like PTTP, The Hormel Institute, Paint Blooming Prairie Pink and the Lyle Area Cancer Auction, show that this area has plenty of both.

Those two things — research and fighting — build on each other because without the fight, there can be no research, and now more than ever there needs to be research.

The money raised through PTTP goes toward seed grants for scientists at The Hormel Institute as they continue to find methods to treat cancer on the way to the ultimate goal of curing cancer.

Over the next few months, as this year’s 10th anniversary drive kicks off, please take the time to help however you can.

Anything we do in this quest to defeat cancer is one step forward, whether that is donating or volunteering. In some fashion or another, we all have a hand in fighting this disease, and southeastern Minnesota does it better than most.