In May, Erin Tench was hired as the new executive director for the Pennsylvania Pink Zone, taking over for Miriam Powell. The Pennsylvania Pink Zone and Penn State Lady Lion Basketball are a unified force in the fight against breast cancer — on the court and off the court. Pink Zone promotes cancer awareness and empowers survivors through year-long efforts to raise funds critical in supporting vital breast-cancer organizations, charities, and facilities that focus on breast-cancer education, research, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment.
Born and raised in Clarks Summit, Tench earned her bachelor of arts degree in media studies with a minor in speech communications from Penn State in 2000. She received her master’s in tourism administration, event management concentration from George Washington University in 2002. She moved to State College in 2009 when her husband, John Kaminski, accepted a faculty position at Penn State.
Town&Gown founder Mimi Barash Coppersmith sat down with Tench at Inferno Brick Oven & Grill in State College to talk about how she hopes to grow Pink Zone through events such as the Little Black Dress Goes Pink charity event and the 2017 Pink Zone game.
Mimi: You have a great job in my opinion. What made you decide to leave a secure university job to take this on?
Erin: When I saw the description of the position, I thought that it really brought together a lot of my skill sets from my previous positions. It has a little of the event planning, volunteer management, working with the board, and, in the end, it really was the cause. It was a perfect fit. It is a cause that is close to me and my husband.
Mimi: Tell me why it was close to you.
Erin: My grandmother passed away of breast cancer when I was in high school. So I became really passionate about breast-cancer charities at that point. And when I started dating my husband, his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She is a survivor.
Mimi: Good for her. How many years?
Erin: Seventeen years. And just more recently, about two years ago, my best friend was diagnosed.
Mimi: How old is she?
Erin: She was 36 when she was diagnosed. She had a double mastectomy. She has two small children.
Mimi: Living happily ever after?
Erin: She was extremely fortunate because it was caught early. She was a very good advocate herself. She got further testing because she found it first and had a negative mammogram. They told her she was fine, but she didn’t take that answer. She has dense breast tissue, so it wasn’t being shown on the mammogram. So in further testing, they found it. She is the third generation. On her father’s side, there was some breast cancer, so she decided to have a double mastectomy.
Mimi: There is a $10,000 commitment to Hershey in past years designated for the genetic testing. That is very exciting.
Erin: Yes, very much so. I look back at my life — when my grandmother was diagnosed when I was in high school, my mother-in-law being diagnosed when I was finishing college, and then my best friend more recently — the advancement of science, the care, the quickness and speed, you know that we are able to treat that.
Mimi: When I found a lump in my breast 29 years ago, it was one of those potential death notices, and I have never been so frightened in my life. But I also found it early, and I am here to tell the story. And I am here, just like you, because of my passion about the beneficiaries and about all that we do. … Reading all about you and getting to know you, I couldn’t wait to do this interview. Tell me some of the things you are going to introduce into the total picture that are going to make us even better.
Erin: Obviously we want to grow in fundraising to be able to support the beneficiaries with more money. And in order to do that, we need to lay strong foundations. So that is one of my first goals, is to make sure that the house is in order and things are working appropriately.
Mimi: You have gotten your Web site in order. Is that true?
Erin: Yes, we have a new Web site. That was one of my top goals, having a communication and public relations background. It is an important tool for us to use to tell our story and also make it user-friendly so it’s easier for people to donate, which I didn’t think our previous Web site was easy to navigate.
Mimi: Is it easy to donate? I have been so frustrated as an active member.
Erin: Yes. There is a button prominently displayed on the home page that says, “Donate.” Even when you pull it up on your mobile device, that is the first thing you see — the “Donate” button.
Mimi: Do you have some strategies to look for some sponsors?
Erin: We are working toward that. We are looking at our packages, making sure that they are covering our costs and that we have benefits that our partners are interested in. One thing that I have been doing is trying to meet with all of our existing partners to find out if they feel that there is something that they have not gotten in return on their investment, because all companies have their different interests. Some just give you the money and don’t want to be bothered, and some others want to be more involved in the organization. Some people want their names in the lights, while others want to remain anonymous. So now we are working through our existing partnerships to see if they can grow and make sure they are happy, so that we can continue. The other thing that I think would help us grow is grant opportunities. We are fortunate that we received a grant from TripAdvisor, through the founder of the Pink Zone student organization. He works there in Boston and helped us get a $25,000 grant from TripAdvisor. So I think there are opportunities out there to help to get money in different ways, and that was not something we looked at before. There are some other larger corporations that might be interested in supporting us through connections from Penn State or through connections of the cause.
Mimi: What is the goal for this year?
Erin: $250,000.
Mimi: You have an upcoming special event. Tell us more about it.
Erin: It’s called the Little Black Dress Goes Pink. It will be the fifth year of this event. It’s held Above the Valley, which is a new special event venue owned and operated by Harrison’s, so it will be a beautiful venue. It will be October, so the fall foliage will be beautiful. At the event, we will highlight local survivors through a fashion show where local businesses donate different fashions for the survivors to wear. We also have people to do all the hair and makeup for the models to make them feel special on that day, and there will be silent auctions and luxury basket raffles. We do a lot of the fundraising through that. It’s on a Sunday afternoon. People don’t have to worry about having a football game the day before since it will be held on October 16. The registration is open on our Web site. Anyone is welcome. In the past, it has been noted as a lady’s night out, but we want to invite everyone to join us, so people can bring their spouses and friends. We just want it to be a really nice time. It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so we celebrate our survivors while fundraising.
Mimi: You are going to have the celebrity butlers?
Erin: Yes, the butlers will be there. A few butlers will be auctioned off to be your personal butler for the evening. They would help you to make sure that the bids on the items will be in, or just hang out with you for the evening. It’s very exciting. It will be a great evening, at a great venue, with great partners. We are all excited.
Mimi: This event has struggled to make a lot of money in the past. What is your goal for this year?
Erin: We don’t have a number per se. We are looking for sponsors. We are hoping that people are willing to spend some money on the silent-auction items, since it’s raising money for a good cause.
Mimi: What can we look forward to for the 2017 Pink Zone game?
Erin: The hope this year is to get 700 survivors at the Pink Zone game. Our goal is to recognize as many survivors as we can. One of my favorite things about the Pink Zone game is when the survivors write down how long they have been a survivor, and you see near decades, days, months, weeks — it’s a wide range. It’s also a great support system for people to interact with other survivors. Everyone who has come before will come again. A portion of the tickets and a portion of the parking will be donated. We also have a silent auction along the concourse to raise additional dollars for the cause, so there are many opportunities to have fun at a great event.
Mimi: And continue to invest in the potential cure for breast cancer. I want to thank you. You are in charge of something that is near and dear to my heart. I want you to know that I am in full support of how you are trying to move us to the next level!
Erin: I appreciate your support! It means the world to me. Thank you.
Mimi: Thank you.
For more information on the Pennsylvania Pink Zone, visit papinkzone.org.
