Protect Your Pumpkins Movement Kicks Off with Pop-Up Pink Pumpkin Patches

BATON ROUGE, La. – Baton Rouge General (BRG) has kicked off its annual Protect Your Pumpkins movement as part of the hospital’s breast cancer awareness campaign promoting annual mammograms for women 40 and over. At the heart of the campaign are thousands of pink pumpkins that popped up overnight at all three BRG campuses – Bluebonnet, Mid City and Ascension. The pop-up pink pumpkin patches are sponsored by b1BANK and Ambetter.

The public is invited to visit one of the pink pumpkin patches to take photos and to bring home a pumpkin for free to display in honor of breast cancer awareness. The hospital’s Bluebonnet location features additional photo opps and activities, including:

• A 15-foot inflatable pink pumpkin and, new this year, a vintage truck
• Pink pumpkin face painting from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. and pink balloon bracelets from 2-4 p.m.
• Posh Pop will be out at the patch as well, selling pink-themed gourmet popcorn.
• BRG’s Arts in Medicine team will be painting ceiling tiles in honor of those who have faced breast cancer. The completed tiles will be placed in the Women’s Center.
• McDonald’s coffee and sausage biscuits will be available from 6-8 a.m., while supplies last, thanks to MacLaff Inc.
• Pink lemonade courtesy of Ambetter

While the pumpkin patches are a beloved community event, the awareness message goes way beyond one day. This year, BRG is expanding its campaign with the help of community and media partners who have rallied together to encourage the Capital region to join the Protect Your Pumpkins movement.

Community partner Rouses Markets will feature Protect Your Pumpkins displays in its Baton Rouge-area stores in October with the option to purchase pink pumpkins. For each pink pumpkin sold, Rouses will donate $1 to BRG’s Foundation to help fund a new 3D mammography machine at BRG’s Mid City campus. With media partners Guaranty Broadcasting, iHeart, inRegister, Lamar and WBRZ, the community will see breast cancer and pink pumpkin content all October.

Also new this year are BRG’s Protect Your Pumpkins ambassadors. This group of survivors -- Diane Tate, Lauren Ritchey and Shaun Lacy Ward -- are community citizens, leaders, and everyday women who are helping to amplify the message of the importance of screening and early detection. You’ll see them all over, from a billboard to a media interview at the pumpkin patch.

All month long on social media, the community has the chance to enter to win a pink David Yurman piece, courtesy of Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry, and to use a fun new filter on Instagram to share support for breast cancer awareness.

Second to skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women. And breast cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in Black women, according to a report by the American Cancer Society. A mammogram can often find or detect breast cancer early, when it’s small, and even before a lump can be felt. Women over 40 should talk to their doctor about their risk for breast cancer and when they should schedule a mammogram. Early detection leads to a greater range of treatment options, including less-extensive surgery and fewer serious side effects.

Women can schedule a mammogram by visiting protectyourpumpkins.com or calling (225) 769-1847. They are available at all three of BRG’s campuses, as well as its imaging location on O’Neal Lane. Saturday mammograms are available at BRG Ascension. BRG will also host its signature Mammos & Mimosas event on Oct. 21.

On the Bluebonnet campus, the patch is located at the corner of Bluebonnet Blvd. and Picardy Ave. At Mid City, the patch is located on the North Blvd. side of the hospital in front of Pennington Cancer Center. At Ascension, the patch is set up on the left side of the facility’s parking lot.

The pink pumpkins are available for free until they are gone. The unique “Porcelain Doll” pumpkins were cultivated to aid in the fight against breast cancer. Only about 50 farms across the country grow these pink pumpkins, which are part of a national campaign launched in 2012 to encourage people to show unity in the fight to find a cure.

For more information, visit protectyourpumpkins.com. And follow the #ProtectYourPumpkins movement on social media.

About Baton Rouge General Medical Center
Baton Rouge General Medical Center is the area’s first community hospital with over 600 licensed beds between three campuses. Baton Rouge General opened its doors in 1900, and has provided the Greater Baton Rouge community with high-quality healthcare for generations. An accredited teaching hospital since 1991, Baton Rouge General is affiliated with several medical school programs, and offers other medical education programs, including a School of Nursing, School of Radiologic Technology, Family Medicine Residency Program, Internal Medicine Residency Program, and Sports Medicine Fellowship Program. For more information, visit BRGeneral.org, find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/BatonRougeGeneral and follow us on Twitter @BRGeneral and Instagram @batonrougegeneral.

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