PITTSTON – Pink lanterns dotted the night sky Friday as Paint Pittston Pink (PPP) held an awards ceremony on the Susquehanna River’s edge in honor of those fighting cancer and those who have succumbed to the disease.
The lantern launch at Pittston’s Riverfront Park saw nearly 100 lanterns set off like hot air balloons into the sky. It’s customary for participants to write a loved one’s name on the lantern before setting them off.
“The Paint Pittston Pink campaign has been going extremely well this year,” said Barbara Sciandra, PPP co-founder. “The Gentlemen’s Dash is killing it so we are hoping that event will put us over the top of our goal.”
Prior to the launch, the Paint Pittston Pink committee conducted a brief ceremony honoring four individuals and one business.
“We couldn’t have ordered better weather for tonight. I’s a beautiful night and it’s always a moving ceremony,” Sciandra added.
The 2019 award winners are:
• The Unsung Hero Award to Bob Price in honor of Qiana Murphy Lehman
• The Survivor Award to Michael Burke in honor of Kara Martin
• The Courage Award to Matthew Macaluso in honor of Sarah Mazzitelli.
• The Celebration of Life Award posthumously to Lisa Jones Kutra, who passed away this past March, in honor of the late Brian and Annarose McNulty
• The Spirit of Community Award to Liberty Tax, Pittston
Burke was stricken with Burkitts Lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system, at the age of 12. He is now 24 years old and a student at Drexel University Kline School of Law, which is, ironically, across the street from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where he was treated.
“Whenever I get to spend time with an organization like this that is really dedicated to a cause that is really personal to me and to my family, it has taught me so much that has guided my life so much. To be invited into a community like Paint Pittston Pink is something that I feel tremendous gratitude,” Michael Burke said.
Mary Kay Jones, mother of the late Jones Kutra, was on hand for the ceremony, along with her husband Ned and Jones Kutra’s daughters Cassie, 16, and Caroline, 13.
“It’s been very overwhelming from the time I received the letter in the mail saying that Lisa was getting the lifetime award,” Mary Kay Jones said, noting how her daughter’s life paralleled the life of the late Brian and Annarose McNulty. “When I read the story of the McNultys and how brave they were in facing their cancer in being upbeat and courageous, they wanted to get awareness out there for research.”
Bob Price, recipient of The Unsung Hero Award, accepted the award given out by PPP co-founder Qiana Lehman.
“I was quite shocked and honored when I received the letter,” Price said. “I don’t do it for the accolades; I do it for the cause. It’s nice to get the recognition.”
At the conclusion of the awards ceremony, lanterns were lit and set off into the sky, closing the evening’s activities.
Future Paint Pittston Pink events include:
• Sunday, Sept. 29 — Purse & Cash Bingo at St. Maria Goretti Banquet Hall, Laflin, is sold out.
• Sunday, Sept. 29 — Meat Raffle will take place at 6 p.m. today Sabatini’s Bottle Shoppe, Exeter.
• Monday, Sept. 30 — Paint PAZZO Pink beginning at 7 p.m. at PAZZO Restaurant on Route 315. Tickets may be purchased at www.raceroster.com.
• Thursday, Oct. 3 — Yoga at The Sapphire Salon and Destination Spa, Pittston, with Dr. Christine E. Kiesinger. Purchase tickets at www.raceroster.com.
• Friday, Oct. 4 — Paint the Red Mill Pink featuring celebrity bartenders and bouncers. The party starts at 7 p.m.
• Saturday, Oct. 5 — Mass at St. John the Evangelist at 9 a.m. followed by the Color Me Pink 5K and the Caped CURE-Sader Family Fun Walk. The always-entertaining Gentlemen’s Dash is at noon at the Tomato Festival Lot area on Main Street in Pittston. Hammer Out Cancer follows, starting at 12:30 p.m. where you can, for $10, hammer a truck at the Tomato Festival grounds. Go to www.raceroster.com for tickets.
