In October, we marked Breast Cancer Awareness month – an international health campaign to increase awareness and raise funds for breast cancer research, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and a cure.
At Kinross, we organize an annual global campaign to support breast cancer awareness month by hosting ‘Pink Day’ at our operations.
See how our global operations celebrated Pink Day below:
Alaska
At Fort Knox and Manh Choh, employees attended ‘Pink Brunch’, where they had the opportunity to share a meal and conversations about Breast Cancer Awareness, and to raise funds for the Breast Cancer Detection Centre (BCDC) by purchasing tickets for the site’s basket auction. To keep Breast Cancer Awareness top of mind , one of our haul trucks was painted pink, a large breast cancer awareness logo was displayed at the mine, and pink themed blasts took place.
Kinross Alaska extended its impact to the wider community by collaborating with two female-owned businesses and the BCDC to launch a community-wide health campaign that provided vital resources and education through decals on coffee cups. Along with awareness, the team promoted early detection by providing employees with small cushions to mirror what a lump could feel like when doing a self-examination.
Bald Mountain, Nevada
At Bald Mountain, employees showed their support for Breast Cancer Awareness by wearing pink shirts, painting their nails and one supporter even dying his beard pink! Employees then had the opportunity to participate in educational sessions about the impact of breast cancer, and the importance of early detection and preventative care screening.
The Human Resources and Community Relations teams made ‘Pink Treat’ bags for employees to purchase with all proceeds going toward the Nevada Health Centre’s ‘Mammovan’ – a mobile mammography unit that travels to all areas of the state providing free mammograms to women 40 years of age and older.
Round Mountain, Nevada
At Round Mountain, the team put together several events over the course of October to keep Breast Cancer Awareness top of mind in the community. The initiatives kicked off with a ‘Pink Lady’s’ golf tournament, a 5km race, a Harvest Festival in town, and the creation of a Breast Cancer Awareness Memorial Garden. Employees and community members were encouraged to come into town to decorate rocks for the garden to show support for fighters and survivors of breast cancer.
At site, pink flowerpots were arranged in the garden in the shape of the Breast Cancer Awareness logo, and the underground lighting was turned pink during the month of October.
Kettle River Operations, Washington State
At Kettle River, ‘Coffee with Kinross’ was hosted in the Republic and Curlew communities to promote local coffee shops while spreading awareness about breast cancer. The K2 mine also hosted an on-site brunch to speak with employees on the importance of early detection.
The Company is also collaborating with Ferry County Health to explore ways to enhance screening rates in the region.
Chile
In Chile, a month-long campaign was held in October to raise awareness amongst employees about breast cancer and prevention methods. This included educational talks with the collaborating company ‘A&P’, a webinar in partnership with ‘Vida Security Medismart’ and promotional materials about awareness across the site.
Employees were also encouraged to participate in promotional events including the raising of the Breast Cancer Awareness flag on site and joining in for aerial photos of the awareness ribbon. The site also hosted ‘Pink Blast’ days to promote Breast Cancer Awareness.
Paracatu, Brazil
In Paracatu, the ‘Sou + Saude’ campaign kicked off in October – a lifestyle campaign dedicated to advocating healthy habits for employees — and launched with the first ever ‘Night Run for Health’ that brought together employees and their family members to participate in a fun, interactive way to stay active.
Employees also attended a special presentation on Breast Cancer Awareness, with Paracatu leadership sharing the importance of raising awareness, preventative tips, and reinforcing the importance of practicing care both at home and in the workplace.
Tasiast and Las Palmas
The Tasiast mine in Mauritania and our regional office in Las Palmas hosted a campaign focused on raising awareness about prevention and early detection of breast cancer through a series of awareness sessions and informative brochures. All employees and contractors were then offered free screenings through our on-site clinics.
In the local community, awareness events were held and attended by over 100 women to learn about risk factors, early signs and self-screening methods. In Las Palmas, the team participated in a ‘march’ for Breast Cancer Awareness in the region and made a donation to improve the lives of women battling breast cancer.
Great Bear, Canada
At Great Bear, employees celebrated Pink Day by wearing their best Pink outfits and enjoying Pink Day inspired cupcakes made locally. During the month of October, employees were encouraged to make donations to the Red Lake Margaret Cochenour Memorial Hospital, with all donations being matched by Kinross.
Toronto, Canada
In Toronto, a lunch and learn session was held in partnership with Breast Cancer Canada where employees had the opportunity to hear from Kimberly Carson, Breast Cancer Canada CEO, and a survivor of breast cancer.
Kimberly discussed the advancements made in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, and the importance of early detection and regular scans as breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer amongst women.
A special thanks to all our employees who participated in Breast Cancer Awareness month, and stay tuned to see how they celebrated ‘Movember’ in November!
