6th annual Pink Pumpkin Sale to benefit PRG

In the fall of 2018, Katie Paddock sent an unusual text to her friend Susan. Both former co-troop leaders of their daughters’ Girl Scout troop, Katie and Susan were reminiscing about their last year as troop leaders.

“I texted her, ‘I have PPF,’” Katie says, to which Susan replied, “What’s P-P-F?”

“Pink Pumpkin Fever,” Katie answered. “Susan started laughing. She's like, ‘Let's do it.’”

That’s how a simple idea turned into an annual community event and a staple to Pink Ribbon Girls’ fundraising efforts during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The 6th annual Pink Pumpkin Sale will take place Oct. 22 from 1-5 p.m. (EST) at The Monkey Bar & Grille in Maineville, Ohio, along the Loveland Bike Trail. All proceeds will benefit PRG. 

“It has grown into something amazing,” PRG Director of Education & Peer Support Jan Middelton says. “People come from over an hour away to attend this annual event.”

Betsey Kohls with her daughter, Lucy, at the 2017 Pink Pumpkin Sale

The first Pink Pumpkin Sale took place in 2017 in honor of a PRG client, Betsey Kohls, whose daughter, Lucy, was in the same troop as Katie and Susan’s. Betsey had just been diagnosed with breast cancer, and the news was fresh. In an effort to support Betsey and her daughter, that troop decided to paint 250 pumpkins – donated by the Monkey Bar & Grille – to sell along with a bake sale. They chose Pink Ribbon Girls as a beneficiary because of the free services Betsey was receiving from PRG as she began her treatment.

The troop made flyers and went door-to-door spreading the word about the event. To Katie’s surprise, it raised more than $5,000 that first year. The Pink Pumpkin Committee was formed in 2018 and now consists of ten amazingly creative women who Katie says all suffer each October from PPF – Pink Pumpkin Fever.

“We were a go-big-or-go-home kind of troop,” Katie says. “It started with the Girl Scouts because we wanted Betsey to know we were thinking of her, and what a perfect way for the girls to complete their Quest Journey to help their community and fellow sister. We promised them we would continue this tradition.”

In 2021, the 5th annual Pink Pumpkin Sale raised $20,555, which provided 2,055 meals to Tri-State families battling breast or gynecological cancers.

This year’s event will feature more than 900 painted pink and teal pumpkins along with raffle baskets, “Split the Pot,” music, pink cocktails, a photo booth and bake sale. All the pumpkins are painted by community members or groups such as sports teams, clubs, community service groups, etc.  

Many survivors attend each year and spend the afternoon together talking and shopping the pumpkin sale.

Although the troop decided to move on from Girl Scouts in 2018, members who started the Pink Pumpkin Sale continue to stay engaged in helping with the event. 

“It has been amazing for me to watch them grow and stay involved in the sale every year,” Jan says. “This really is a very unique event that has made such a beautiful impact on our community. It's one of those events that you really feel good about when you attend because there is just a very special feeling in the air.”