Behind the Badge
On Wednesday morning, Dan Hughes got flocked.
So did the top two members of the Fullerton PD chief’s command staff, Capt. John Siko and Capt. Scott Rudisil.
It was all about sending a message:
Flock Cancer.
And the message came courtesy of the YWCA North Orange County.
Outside Fullerton FD headquarters, retired FPD Capt. Lorraine Jones had helped plant 29 pink flamingos — a symbol of the organization’s support of breast cancer research.
And at around 9 a.m. on Nov. 11, Hughes, Siko and Rudisil gamely posed for pictures amid the flamingos and succulents.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
By the end of the day, the flock would be gone.
Jones is 2014-15 president of the YWCA North Orange County, whose mission is “eliminating racism and empowering women.”
Theresa Stachelski, a senior loan officer at Guild Mortgage in Fullerton and a member of the YWCA North Orange County 2014-2015 Board of Directors, is chairperson of the fundraiser and worked with Jones planting the flamingos.
The so-called “Flamingo Flocking,” sponsored by Alinea Medical Imaging, is part of the YWCA North Orange County’s efforts to raise awareness about — and money for — its Early Breast Screening Program.
Every year, the YWCA North Orange County’s Early Breast Cancer Screening Program provides free screenings to more than 5,000 uninsured and underserved women.
The flocking comes on the heels of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. And the flocking will continue through November, with the plastic pink birds roosting on lawns and in front of businesses for a day before migrating to another location in the city.
“Uninsured and underinsured women are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer,” Jones said. “The YWCA of North Orange County wants to change that.”
The YWCA North Orange County offers free mobile breast cancer screenings and breast cancer self-exam workshops to women’s groups, churches, community groups and in the community at large. To schedule a screening or set up a workshop, please call 714-871-4488.
Pink flamingos in front of the Fullerton PD.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
