MONROE, CT — Rows of Cornhole games were set up on the Monroe town green Sunday as teams competed in a tournament, while families bought chicken nuggets and Italian ice from food trucks and visited tables for face painting, games, raffles and to purchase Think Pink Monroe T-shirts.
The annual Think Pink Palooza, an event raising funds for families impacted by cancer and spreading awareness to get routine mammograms, was in full swing.
Masuk High School came out in a big way as many students volunteered — including members of the girls volleyball team — and the crowd enjoyed entertainment by the Masuk chorus, band, choir and cheerleading team. A culinary class held a bake sale to raise funds.
Jason Maur, a town councilman and treasurer of the Think Pink Monroe Committee, stood in the gazebo and took in the swirl of activity around him.
“It’s about fun,” he said. “It’s a collaboration of helping people in the community and of the strong determination overcoming a cancer diagnosis takes.”
Maur’s mother, Bonnie, a longtime educator in town, founded Think Pink Monroe in 2019. The group has since become a nonprofit providing financial support for Monroe residents dealing with a cancer diagnosis, spreading awareness and now offering support groups.
“We have a great turnout,” Bonnie Maur, who is president of the nonprofit, said on the sunny Sunday afternoon. “We have a beautiful day. I think somebody’s looking down on us. I’m so glad to have all of the community members and officials of the community. It’s a wonderful day of the community coming together.”
Among the guest speakers were First Selectman Terry Rooney, State Rep. Tony Scott, R-112th, and State Sen. Kevin Kelly, R-21st.
“Thank you everybody for coming today. It’s a great day, beautiful weather,” said Rooney, who attended the Palooza with his wife, Nadine, and mother-in-law, Honoria Medeiros.
The first selectman noted how people often do not appreciate what they have in life, including their own good health, until something bad happens to take it away.
“In 2007, my mother-in-law was diagnosed with breast cancer and it rattled my family,” Rooney said, before asking Medeiros to stand beside him.
After they cheered for his mother-in-law, the first selectman asked the crowd to give a round of applause for all cancer survivors.
“Because of her will, family support and, most of all, modern medicine being what it is, we still have our mother-in-law today — and I’m very thankful for that,” Rooney said.
He spoke of the strides made in cancer research and praised organizations like Think Pink Monroe, who help those battling different forms of the disease. Jason Maur gave a small gift to Rooney’s mother-in-law.
Scott attended the event with his wife, Jennifer, and Addison, one of their two daughters, who competed in the Cornhole Tournament. Scott said a few words, while expressing his appreciation to Bonnie Maur and her team for organizing the Think Pink Palooza.
“Neighbors are helping neighbors, today and all throughout the year,” Scott said. “It’s not just October that that’s happening. It’s all year long.”
He shared how his mother and grandmother had breast cancer and said everybody is touched by the disease, whether it’s in their own family or someone they know who was diagnosed.
“We’re all in this together,” Scott said. “Think about that when you’re here today — and every dollar you donate is going to help somebody locally and actually make a difference.”
Scott introduced Kelly, while handing the senator the microphone.
“As Tony said, cancer visits all of us. In my family, our grandson has cancer, so it’s important that we rally around each other as a community,” Kelly said, “and the important thing here is that this took a vision. Bonnie’s vision a few years ago has turned into this reality, which demonstrates that we can all do our part at the state level, at the town level or even personal level.”
“We just have to make the effort to help each other, because guess what, when we work together as neighbors, good things happen,” Kelly said. “This is a great day. It’s a sunny day. It’s a good day for Think Pink. It’s a good day for the community, so let’s continue to do this and help each other.”
A 19-year survivor
Bonnie Maur asked every cancer survivor to come up, so she could present each with a small gift.
Now a 19-year breast cancer survivor, Maur is planning to have a big 20th anniversary party next year. “That’s what we need to do,” she told the crowd. “We need to celebrate life. We need to celebrate the little things in life and the big things in life.”
She remembered how townspeople rallied around her when she was going through cancer treatments, and said the fact that Think Pink Monroe, which is run entirely by volunteers, can give every dollar of the proceeds raised to Monroe families in need is her “love note to the community.”
“This isn’t about me. It’s about everybody,” Maur said. “Everybody who’s out here supporting people, all of the survivors who are here. I am so grateful for this community, who comes out every year to support us. The reality is, without any of you, we would be nothing.”
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