Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship for Saint Albans Messenger.
ENOSBURG FALLS — It was a chilly fall day: a blanket of leaves coated the ground, a slight breeze gushed through the air and the sun illuminated the clouds on the verge of sunset. Locals from around Franklin County gathered in Lincoln Park, wearing pink, and were guided into a human ribbon, symbolizing their support for people and families battling with cancer.
Shawna Lovelette, the organizer of the event, spoke about her gratefulness for the people who showed up and the importance of community.
She told everyone to “tell their friends” so they could “double the size of this event for next year.”
Chelsea Perley, a mammogram technologist, and Caitie Thiel, an ultrasound technologist, ran the Northwestern Medical Center tent. They stood by boards with information about the different phases of breast cancer and general information about breast cancer. They were also providing on-site scheduling for mammograms.
Also on their table were brochures and pamphlets. One was a pamphlet for the Jim Bashaw Fund, created in memory of Jim Bashaw, “a teacher, guidance counselor and basketball coach at BFA St. Albans,” according to the Jim Bashaw Fund pamphlet from the event.
The Jim Bashaw Fund provides financial assistance to individuals diagnosed with cancer or a “catastrophic illness” who require financial support.
The Mahana Magic Foundation, an organization that supports kids with parents or loved ones with cancer, was also represented on the table. They offer support groups, team building activities, outdoor programs and other resources for kids.
The luminary walk in Enosburg raised money for Franklin County Area Cancer Network, “an emergency fund for Franklin County Area cancer patients.”
It was through the support and donations of Enosburg citizens that got the non-profit off the ground.
“100% of the donations go to grants for people with cancer.” The organization “gave out $300,000 in grants from 2012-2025,” said the president of FCACN, Sherry White.
The crowd of pink began to walk as the clouds morphed into the same color. Families chatted with one another as they passed through the town and circled back to the park, which glowed with luminarias.
Whitney Fitzgerald, an attendee, felt a personal connection to the event.
“I come from many survivors. I watched my sister, aunt, mother and grandmother battle breast cancer,” she said.
She saw what her family was going through, and she decided to get a “risk-reducing double mastectomy” so she wouldn’t have to go through the same fate as her family.
Fitzgerald emphasized how hard communities in Vermont are hit by cancer, but when everyone comes together, she believes that there can be so much support for people in need.