We know these events not just for the fun we have, but for the sheer numbers of visitors they bring to the island. (And we know that because they’re not shy about letting us know).
But there’s one event that has quietly drawn thousands of people to the Lowcountry every year, welcoming visitors from every state of the union. It’s called Pledge the Pink, and while you may not have heard about it, legions of faithful “flock stars” certainly have.
“We are the second biggest event in the Lowcountry,” Pledge the Pink founder Laura Morgan said, “second only to the Heritage in terms of heads in beds and ATAX.”
In essence, Pledge the Pink is three days of wildly entertaining frivolity in service of raising funds for breast cancer treatment. Participants walk, run or push a stroller through a trio of 10-mile courses where the aim isn’t necessary to be the fastest, but to have the most fun along the way. You won’t find too many die-hard competitors, but you will find plenty of pink frilly tutus and heartwarming laughter.
“We’re here to raise money and we’re here in memory of those we lost, but we’re also here to just share in the joy of life,” Morgan said. “There’s a real bond that forms every year. It’s like meeting up with 1,500 of your dearest friends.”
And those funds are saving lives. The vast majority of money raised through Pledge the Pink stays in the Lowcountry, going to organizations like Volunteers in Medicine, Beaufort-Jasper-Hampton Comprehensive Health Service, Beaufort Memorial Hospital, and Hollings Cancer Center, among others. Morgan is hopeful that this year’s Pledge the Pink will hit the $1 million mark, collected almost entirely through voluntary contributions.
No one who participates in Pledge the Pink is required to raise funds. They just do. “I am constantly in awe of how generous everyone is,” Morgan said. “Our new thing we started last year is if you raise more than $5,000, 80 percent of it can go to a charity of your choice. That’s been very successful, and it gives us the opportunity to put Pledge the Pink’s name all over the country.”
And with that notoriety will come even more guests from all over the world visiting the Lowcountry. On average, you’ll find people from 47 states in attendance each year. “We had all 50 states one year, and Puerto Rico,” Morgan said. And those thousands of visitors stay an average of 5.4 nights each, booking vacation rental homes, villas and hotels rooms and patronizing local businesses. “We have a lot of great partnerships with local restaurants and retailers.”
While previous years have seen Pledge the Pink courses run through Daufuskie Island, Fripp Island, Dataw Island and Old Town Bluffton, this year will see the entire event held exclusively on Hilton Head Island. Day one will guide flock stars through Port Royal Plantation, with Shelter Cove hosting day two and the final day running between Coligny Beach and the Omni.
That’s to say nothing of the events that wait at the end of each day’s course, like the after-party and the always raucous Drag Queen Bingo. “You’d think everybody would be worn out after 10 miles on the trail, but it turns into a real party each night,” Morgan said with a laugh.
It may be a party, but for the women who receive vital treatment when they need it most through funds raised, and for the local businesses who enjoy a few thousand more guests because of Pledge the Pink, it’s serious business.
Or as serious as anything can get when you’re wearing a pink tutu.
