History of Pink:
From humble beginnings come the greatest triumphs

While we celebrate the 23rd anniversary of Paint the Town PINK, we would like to reflect on history of this incredible event and its role in serving families from across Montana for the past two decades.

After a few years of hosting the Chair-ity Auction at the Montana Club with 100 people in the room, the Board of Directors at Florence Crittenton led by Board members Nan Ballien, Shauna Thomas President, Margaret Anderson, and then Executive Director Pat Seiler, and Development Director, Barb Burton, decided they would take the event to the next level and kicked off Paint the Town PINK in 2003. The small event of 250 held at the Civic Center raised about $30,000, and so began a legacy. Today that legacy carries on, raising $200,000-$300,000 per year to support the programs at Florence Crittenton. Over the 23 years, the event has incredibly raised over $3 million, all of which the proceeds go straight back to helping families in the care of Florence Crittenton!

While the event has become bigger and better every year, it has always been characterized by one important aspect: amazing and, at times, outrageous decorations! The early days of Paint the Town PINK featured paint cans on each table with fabric draping all the way to the ceiling of the Civic Center. There were the days of full themes, such as the Cruise Ship at Carroll College and the Wizard of Oz theme. And who could forget the fantastic dragon celebrating the Chinese New Year. When the event became too big for the Civic Center, the decision was made to move to the Fairgrounds, and there began the really big décor. Sea creatures illuminating the ceiling, circus tents and stilt walkers, ballet dancers, and larger than life peacocks and antlers…if you can dream it, you have probably seen it at PINK!

The event has been a great representation of our organization over the years. Just like PINK, Florence Crittenton is constantly evolving to provide high quality services to the community. As an attendee once said to Carrie Krepps (now the Executive Director), Pink is “a classy event for a classy organization.” The event has always represented the highest quality and attention to detail, just as we do with our programs and service to our clients every day. The event also represents a sense of community, no different than the organization itself. PINK brings together sponsors, auction donors, volunteers, and attendees from all walks of life to put together an incredible event each year. It is never done by one single person, just as our work with our clients is the effort of the entire team of staff and the community’s support. And most importantly, the event represents the ideal that with support something, or someone, can come from humble beginnings and achieve greatness in this world. Our highly anticipated PINK speakers every year highlight this perfectly. We love to see them shine as they share their story and their lives today. As the event has grown and changed and achieved, so have our clients…and we are so proud of both.

Thank you for being part of the magic that is PINK and for making a difference in the lives of the families at Florence Crittenton.