ARLINGTON — On Tuesday, Dec. 3, the Cascade Valley Hospital Foundation received a holiday gift that’s become an annual tradition.

Paul Brown, publisher of The Marysville Globe and The Arlington Times, presented a check for $1,600 to the Cascade Valley Hospital Foundation Board of Directors for breast cancer awareness and related issues.

“A big part of this contribution is due to the advertisers who participated this year,” Brown said. “They’re worthy of a vote of thanks.”

The amount of the check drew from portions of the advertising proceeds from the two newspapers on this year’s “Pink Crusade” issues, dated Oct. 12, which included stories that likewise promoted breast cancer awareness.

“Last year, we printed those issues on pink paper, but this year, we actually ran out of pink paper, so we did special supplements to those issues instead,” Brown told the Cascade Valley Hospital Foundation Board of Directors on Dec. 3. “I actually think it turned out much better because the colors were brighter and we were able to devote an entire section of the paper to those stories.”

Brown was inspired by the women in his own life to become a booster for the cause of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.

“This is important to me as the husband, father and grandfather of women, especially since one of the members of my family went through Stage 3 breast cancer,” Brown said. “Fortunately, she’s been in remission for four years, and she owes a lot of that to early detection.”

Barbara Tolbert, president of the Cascade Valley Hospital Foundation Board of Directors, estimated that this year’s check nearly doubled the amount of last year’s check.

“The timing is great, since we’re getting it right as we set our next budget,” Tolbert said. “The Cascade Valley Hospital Foundation is blessed with great community partners. We could not do the work that we do without them.”

Cascade Valley Hospital Foundation Hospital Representative Heather Logan noted that, while many people are already aware of breast cancer, getting them to come in for screenings that provide early detection remains a challenge.

“During National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, we’ve offered everything from bonbons to massages on Wednesday nights to make it more appealing,” Logan said. “Nobody wants to get a mammogram, but it doesn’t have to be a scary thing.”

Logan credited these promotional efforts with increasing mammographies not only during October, but also November of this year.

Brown promised the Cascade Valley Hospital Foundation Board of Directors that the “Pink Crusade” issues of The Marysville Globe and The Arlington Times would continue every October for the length of his tenure as publisher.