About

Aloha!
 

In 2019, our founder, Janelle O’Neill had reached a milestone, her 10 th Cancerversary
(see her story below). To celebrate, she wanted to plan an event to give back to Breast
Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks (BCFO) and honor breast cancer survivors. Janelle
and a few friends planned the luau themed event in collaboration with Ozark Mountain
Parrot Heads (OMPH). In 2019, the event raised $2500 for BCFO and was a fun time.
The event took a hiatus during the Pandemic but came back with a splash in 2023.
2024 saw the renaming of the event to Pink Ribbon Luau (PRL). In 2024, Pink Ribbon
Luau (via OMPH) donated over $20,000 to BCFO!
Every year the event grows and improves. Our focus is on offering a fun evening of
music, food, and games. You can wear your tropical gear and participate in the Tropical
Attire contest or purchase tickets for the PRL raffle item. Make sure you get a bidder
number so you can bid on silent and live auction items. Check out our Sponsor page for
more information on donating your time or money to this great event.

Janelle’s story
I was diagnosed at the age of 42 with stage 3 of an aggressive type of
Breast cancer. I had a normal mammogram about 8 months before I felt the
lump in my breast. I was in my last semester of a long educational journey
to become a dental hygienist. My husband and I have 2 daughters who were
9 and 13 at the time. I was terrified that I would not live to see our daughters
grow up, graduate, and start their own lives. Our family had already made
huge financial sacrifices for me to go to school, and now that hardship was
going to be that much more difficult with extended unemployment while
having aggressive treatment and surgeries for over a year. We were who
Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks was designed for. BCFO
provides funds for mammograms, and they provide financial assistance for
patients who are going through treatment and their families. I am happy to
report that after a long journey I am now a 15-year breast cancer survivor
and I have seen my 2 daughters graduate from high school and college. We
also recently watched our older daughter walk down the aisle and added a
son to our family. Life is GOOD!