DOZENS of people put their best pink foot forward as Mario’s Bowling played host to a ‘Painting The Lanes Pink’ fundraiser at the weekend.

More than 60 exhibitors raised money for breast cancer awareness as the party centre was transformed into a plush pink paradise with giant sized pink balls dangling from the rafters and pink crepe paper draping the entrance and bars.

Exhibitors’ booths included beauty and cosmetic products and clothing, there was a pink-themed hair and make up demonstration and samplings of food and drinks. Cia Monet sponsored a fashion show which featured merchandise in an array of styles and colours.

The Bahamas Breast Cancer Initiative Foundation (BBCIF) hosted the event at Mario’s Bowling and Entertainment Palace. It aimed to raise $10,000.

BBCIF is a public-private partnership formed in Nassau in April 2008 with a mission to bring together partners to improve breast cancer care in the Bahamas and provide women with a comprehensive breast cancer programme of education early detection and care.

The current BBCIF research programme involves offering genetic testing and counselling to relatives of individuals who were identified as carriers of the BRCA gene and to determine the risk of hereditary breast cancer in the Bahamian population.

The BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 gene has been found in 1 out of 4 Bahamian women.

At the Mario’s fundraiser vendors gave a presentation and a charitable donation.

Lisa Humes, of Mario’s Bowling, coordinated the event and said: “We are extremely pleased at the turnout from the general public and the vendors who showed up to make this such a successful event. Mario’s Bowling is very concerned with the extremely high statistics of Bahamian women carrying the gene. The majority of the staff at Mario’s are women and when we heard about the research being carried out for BRCA1 and BRCA2 we knew we needed to be involved with the fundraising cause.”

• See tomorrow’s Tribune for more on the event.