Tuesday, Oct. 09 2012 6:28PM
CHARITY
Pink heals
LS wireless company contributes to fight against cancer
By Toriano Porter
tporter@lsjournal.com
Print
E-Mail
AIM
Reprinttool name
closeWith Vicky Sneed it was personal.
Sneed, co-owner of The Wireless Zone at 3680 N.E. Akin Drive in Lee’s Summit, hosted the store’s annual “Give Back Day” Oct. 6 and used the day to support breast cancer awareness with the help of the Mo-Kan chapter of the Guardians of the Ribbon organization, an outfit that stands up for and helps those affected by cancer.
The Wireless Zone donated 10 percent of the day’s sales to the fight against breast cancer.
“One of our commitments is to really give back,” Sneed said moments before she signed a personalized note for a friend affected by cancer on a pink truck courtesy of Guardians of the Ribbon. The truck was displayed in the parking lot at the three-year-old business Sneed co-owns with her son, Nick Link. “We give back in a couple of ways to the community by providing honest pricing on all of our phones and accessories, and then the other part of that is giving back to a local charity.
“We choose a different charity every year and this year…part of that selection was based on something personal to me. I have several friends that have fought really hard this year with cancer. There is one in particular that is still fighting. It was just something that spoke to me and it’s something that I’m going to do today; just dedicate a special message on the truck.”
Link said he too knows quite a few people battling cancer and Oct. 6 gave him a chance to help fight the cause during what is nationally known as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
“Breast cancer has really hit home with us,” said Link, who also serves as the store’s director of sales. “I know a few people who have gone through it. My mom knows a few people that are going through it – people that have actually gone through it this year. The important thing is we are trying to do it the same month as every one else and bring the awareness to give money to give back.”
Chad Loehr, chapter president of Guardians of the Ribbon, said the organization supports the fight against all cancers, and that he was thrilled to take part in the Wireless Zone’s “Give Back Day.”
“We come out and we support cancer,” Loehr, a firefighter in Raymore, said. “Our organization is not just about breast cancer, it’s about all cancers. We go around and do cancer awareness events to help raise money. The cornerstone of our organization is that we are not a charity. We don’t raise money for any particular cause. We come to your town to help you raise money. We leave all the money there. We turn around and go somewhere else the next day. That’s what we do. ”
Totals donated for the day were not known as of the Journal’s press time, but Sneed said the company has contributed to great causes over the last three years and she’s sure their latest efforts would help continue the mission.
“We do it once a year and it’s usually in the fall,” Sneed, a Lee’s Summit resident, said. “The very first year we were open we (donated to) the Special Olympics and just last year we (donated) to some local schools and sports teams. Each year we do it a little bit differently.”
Link, of Blues Springs, added: “It (10 percent of sales) might not seem like a lot but every little bit helps, and to me we can always pitch in a little bit and a little bit goes a long way. That’s really the big thing.”
