Kristi Blair is committed to finding a cure for breast cancer and to have some fun doing it.
Blair, founder of Wings of Karen, is ready to follow up the wildly successful Bra Dash 5K, which raised $30,000 in September, with something new: the Pink Carpet event.
Set for Oct. 11 at the Olsen Mansion, Blair said it will be an evening of pinked-out glitz, glamour, art and music.
Blair founded the nonprofit in February 2012, naming it after her mother Karen, who died in 2007 after a battle with breast cancer. In October 2011 Blair was diagnosed with the disease. It wasn’t long before she began to fight back.
After the success of the Bra Dash, Blair said, they considered expanding that event.
“You just can’t reach people the way you can by having a night with them,” Blair said. “The Bra Dash is a fun event that everybody can come and participate in but not necessarily have to get real involved with the foundation. The Pink Carpet is a great way for all the doctors to come to this event and a way for our donors and supporters to come together. It’s a great night to celebrate how the community has come together in a much larger way.”
The foundation’s mission is to raise money for research in the Puget Sound region with a particular focus on supporting the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, a collaboration between University of Washington Medicine, Seattle Children’s Hospital and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
“I feel like it’s a race to find an answer, that’s why everyone volunteers,” she said. “Every dollar Wings of Karen raises goes to research.”
With that in mind, Blair said, it seemed like it would be ideal to bring a fun evening out to Maple Valley.
“Since we are a foundation that focuses on keeping everything local we thought it would be fun to feature local artists and musicians at the event,” Blair said. “Breast cancer is a heavy topic but I feel like with the Bra Dash and the Pink Carpet event I want people to feel really good rather than focus on the tragedies of it because we all know those are there, so it’s going to be a party.”
When people arrive at Olsen Mansion that evening, they will walk down the pink carpet, much like a Hollywood movie premier complete with photographers and a big event backdrop where they can pose in evening wear for a photo. Blair said guests will experience first class service as well as get the opportunity to hear great music, see some wonderful art created locally along with the auction.
Blair recently scored a pair of exciting auction items.
“Dave Matthews found out about Wings of Karen,” Blair said of the singer and songwriter of Dave Matthews Band. “I just went and met him last week and he signed a couple of guitars. He let me come to his studio while he was recording.”
One guitar is pink, the other is black, and Matthews, who settled in Seattle more than a decade ago, signed both as well as added his own bit of art.
Matthews is also helping connect the foundation with artists to perform at the Pink Carpet. Blair said they are still finalizing those details. Paul Silvi, sports anchor for KING 5 news, will host the evening.
In the meantime, on Thursday, Blair said they presented a check for the money raised at the Bra Dash to a researcher at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. That $30,000, the Wings of Karen grant, went to a researcher with an innovative approach to breast cancer in pre-menopausal women.
“That’s what Wings of Karen is, getting the money and turning it over to the most promising research,” Blair said.
Given how much support Blair’s hometown of Maple Valley has offered thus far, she is excited to bring another event here. Tickets will be available in April. There will be 300 available. Blair also hopes to coordinate with nail and hair salons in the area to offer services with proceeds to go to the foundation while helping women feel good as they head to the Pink Carpet event.
“I wanted to do something fun in Maple Valley,” she said. “All of Western Washington has really accepted us, but, particularly Maple Valley. It’s going to be a classy, really fun event featuring some really cool artists and musicians. I want everyone to walk away feeling extremely empowered … and know they gave a lot back.”
