Organizers of a Red Deer radio station’s drive to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month estimate it will take about 250 bras to make an unbroken chain across the Red Deer River.
With more than 600 bras stacked in their station at last count, the crew at Zed 99 hope to collect enough bras to cross the river at least four times by the time the drive closes at 5 p.m. on Friday. The bras will then be hooked together in lots of 50, to be stretched across the former Canadian Pacific Railway bridge at 9 a.m. on Saturday, said program director Al Tompson.
“Our unofficial goal is probably about 1,000 bras, which will allow us to (cross) quite a few times,” Tompson said.
Infinite varieties of shapes and sizes have been coming in, including one special favourite that they’ve named the Gold Member. Tompson described that particular bra as shiny and big enough to hold boulders.
Along with naming the bra, the station staff have developed one of their own in a size of inhuman proportions, dubbed the 99Z and displayed at Southside Dodge, the collection point where donors are being asked to bring their bras.
Bras Across the Bridge has been getting tremendous support, said Tompson, including a challenge by residents of Victoria Park Retirement, who plan to pull bras over their red Seniors Serving Seniors bibs when they present their bra collection at Southside at 11:15 a.m. today.
While awareness of the disease was the primary goal, donors have also been dropping off money at the dealership, where the management has pledged $1 per bra for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, said Tompson.
The bras are to be given away after the campaign, he said.
Earlier this month, staff at Red Deer’s newest radio station, 100.7 The River, held their Bras Across the River campaign, stretching 741 bras across the 49th Avenue Bridge and collecting just under $1,000 for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
The bras were then cleaned and distributed to various women’s shelters after the Oct. 7 event, said station manager Daryl Holien.
The idea started with similar bra drives at other radio stations in both Canada and the United States.
bkossowan@www.reddeeradvocate.com