The Courier is going pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In honor of those whose lives have been affected by this devastating disease, we will accent our front page with pink every week of October. For a listing of local businesses who are joining us in support of breast cancer awareness, go to our albums and see pictures of pages that were printed in this week’s Courier.

The pink ribbon has been synonymous with breast cancer for years. Nowadays, people rarely think twice when they see pink ribbons, having grown accustomed to the pink ribbon and what it symbolizes.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month has been celebrated each year since 1985, and many other breast cancer awareness initiatives have been devised since then. While the pink ribbon may seem like it’s been in use for just as long, it was actually established only about 20 years ago.

Although you can see waves of pink every October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, many people don their ribbons year-round. Great strides have been made with respect to breast cancer, but with about 225,000 new cases popping up each year in the United States alone, there is still work to be done.