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Special-needs group plants pink tulips for cancer awareness
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Aaron Jackson, a student at Austintown Fitch High School, and teacher's aide Cody Reese plant special pink tulips at Fellows Riverside Gardens in Mill Creek MetroParks. The tulips, planted Tuesday, are called "The Cure" and are meant to raise awareness about breast cancer. About 4,000 of "The Cure" tulips will bloom around the gardens in the spring.
By Elise Franco
Youngstown
The Mill Creek MetroParks’ fall tulip planting coincides perfectly with Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Each fall, 40,000 to 50,000 tulip, daffodil and narcissus bulbs are planted all throughout the MetroParks.
This year a special pink tulip called “The Cure” was put in to give more recognition and support to the cancer that hits close to home for so many Valley residents, said Marcy Dubec, head MetroParks gardener.
“We have a lot of people who work here in the park system who have had cancer,” she said. “I thought we needed to recognize those people, so it’s kind of a dedication to all those folks.”
Dubec said she learned about “Pink Tulip Project” online. The project was founded in 2006 by breast- cancer survivor Robin Whitten to raise money and awareness for the cause.
The tulips were purchased by the MetroParks through Pink Tulip Project. At 35 cents per bulb, the park spent roughly $1,400, Dubec said.
All of the money raised through the purchase of Whitten’s tulip bulbs is donated to the Women’s Cancer Fund at the Maine Cancer Foundation, according to Whitten’s website, www.pinktulipproject.org.
Since its inception, the project has brought in more than $120,000 for cancer research.
Dubec said workers will plant a total of 4,000 special pink tulips, but on Tuesday, a group of special-needs students from Austintown Fitch High School stopped by Fellows Riverside Garden sto help plant the first 700 “The Cure” tulips.
Karen Marra, Fitch intervention specialist, said the students work at the gardens for two hours each Tuesday to help build up their physical strength and job skills.
Marra said she made sure to tell the kids that this planting task was particularly important.
“I told them they were planting for breast- cancer awareness, and it’s for a great cause,” she said. “They’re all excited to come back and see the beauty of what they planted.”
Michael Armstrong, 19, said he enjoyed planting the special pink tulips because of their meaning.
Armstrong said those who have lost someone to cancer can come to the gardens and see the flowers blossom in the spring.
“They can come here and remember,” he said.
Ciera Said, 20, said planting the bulbs is hard work, but she likes the end result.
“We can come back and see them during the spring season,” she said. “These tulips are more special because of the awareness.”
Dubec said the spring bulbs should begin to blossom in April or May, depending on the weather. She said when the tulips pop up, they should be “lipstick pink” and beautiful.
For a list of when flowers are scheduled to bloom around the MetroParks visit www.millcreekmetroparks.com.