Berlin Okays Candlelight Vigil For Breast Cancer

BERLIN - Breast
cancer sufferers will get a night of support in Berlin this October when a
local breast cancer support group holds a candlelight vigil downtown to
commemorate loved ones who have battled the disease.

Local breast cancer
support group Women Supporting Women (WSW), which also has chapters in
Salisbury and Crisfield, will hold a 'Turn the Town Pink' event in downtown
Berlin the night of Oct. 8, in conjunction with an Art Stroll event, to honor
cancer victims and raise funds for the organization.

Emily Karnbauer,
coordinator for the Worcester County chapter, asked the Berlin Mayor and
Council Monday night to approve the event planned for October, which is Breast
Cancer Awareness Month.

The 'Turn the Town
Pink' event will include a candlelight vigil in front of the Atlantic Hotel in
support of Worcester County breast cancer patients and survivors and to
memorialize those who have died from the disease.

WSW will provide
candles to those attending the vigil, Karnbauer said. Then the names of breast
cancer patients will be ceremonially read out loud. There might even be some
music, said Karnbauer.

'One of my
survivors would like to sing and she plays acoustic guitar,' Karnbauer told the
town council.

WSW is asking
residents and businesses to decorate their properties with tasteful pink
adornments in honor of the event, Karnbauer said

Businesses are also
being asked to sell $1 pink ribbon fundraising cards. All proceeds will benefit
WSW.

Several businesses
have already agreed to take part in the ribbon fundraiser, said Karnbauer.

WSW is also asking
businesses to think about carrying specialty items linked to Breast Cancer
Awareness as part of the fundraiser. The proprietor of Stuart's Antiques, Toni
Stuart, asked specifically for men's ties, she said, as an example.

WSW is collecting
funds to create a large quilt to honor breast cancer patients. The office
already has two smaller quilts.

The 'Turn the Town Pink'
evening will be the first such fundraiser for WSW, which chose Berlin for the
inaugural event because its office is located in the area, and because Berlin
is a central location for the county.

The Berlin Mayor
and Council voted unanimously to approve the October event.