Creaton of the Pink Ribbon symbol
The first chapter in the history of Pink Ribbon as a symbol for breast cancer awareness can be found at the Komen Foundation's Race for The Cure, on the 16th of June 1990. At this race, held in Washington DC, the Komen Foundation handed out pink visors randomly to the 8,529 walkers. A year later, in 1991, Komen distributed pink ribbons to participants in it's New York City Race for The Cure. As from this year, the pink ribbon became the symbol for breast cancer awareness.
......it is not surprising, given their commitment to breast cancer marketing, that the Susan J. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation was the first breast cancer organization to latch on to the idea by distributing pink ribbons to every participant in its New York City Race for the Cure (they also, later, tried unsuccessfully to trademark the ribbon)..
source: p.xxiv-xxv Pink Ribbons, Inc., by Samantha King ISBN-13:978-0-8166-4898-6
How the Pink Ribbon became known in the US
In 1992 Alexandra Penney, editor in chief of Self magazine, who was working on Self magazine's second National Breast Cancer Awareness Month issue, came up with the idea to distribute real ribbons on each cover of the October issue of Self magazine.
Next, Penney learned it was impractical to pin a ribbon onto each cover of Self , as she had hoped, so she called Evelyn Lauder, of Estee Lauder Companies to ask for help. "Lets give these out at Estee Lauder counters,'' was her enthousiastic response.
source: Self magazne, October 2002 page 30.
Around the same time, Charlotte Haley, a sixty-eight-year-old with a history of breast cancer in her family, began making peach-colored ribbons in her dining room at home. Each set of five came with a card that read: "The National Cancer Institute annual budget is $1.8 billion, only 5 percent goes for cancer prevention. Help us wake up our legislators and America by wearing this ribbon."
A few months later, Self magazine, which was planning its second annual National Breast Cancer Awareness Month issue, with Evelyn Lauder, senior corporate vice president at Estee Lauder, as guest editor, decided to create a ribbon that would be distributed at the company's cosmetics counters across the country. At first, according to Fernandez, the magazine approached Haley asking her to work with them on the plan and, as part of the deal, relinquish the concept of the ribbon. Haley refused, claiming (correctly as it turns out) that she feared the commercialization of her approach, and so Self, in consultation with its lawyers, settled on a different color: pink......
source: p.xxiv-xxv Pink Ribbons, Inc., by Samantha King ISBN-13:978-0-8166-4898-6
Penney wrote in the October 1992 issue of Self magazine:
I'm sure you've seen the red ribbon symbolizing AIDS awareness on lots of lapels. Now there's a pink ribbon for "Breast Cancer Awareness". ........We'll be collecting signatures from all of you who write us for a ribbon or who go to an Estee Lauder counter for one, and I'll take the signatures to Washington as a reminder to the President that breast cancer research and treatment should remain a top priority. Alexandra Penney.
source: Self magazine, October 1992 page 141.
Due to the publication of the magazine and the distribution of ribbons, the symbol became known over the country. The myth, that Evelyn Lauder is the creator of the Pink Ribbon, is still alive. Probably for commercial purposes in the very interest of Estee Lauder Companies.
Growing towards an international movement
Breast cancer awareness started to grow, more and more organizations started to incorporate the pink ribbon as the symbol for breast cancer. In October 6th, 1997 American citizen Paul Davidson registered pinkribbon.com and launched a website directed to and available for all people in the world connected to breast cancer, The website was dedicated to raising awareness and funding for breast cancer.
Dutch citizen Walter Scheffrahn, further extended and expanded the 1997 initiative to a professional charity network establishing Pink Ribbon Inc. in New York. He dedicated 10% of his company capacity and funds to the initiative as a token of support to his sister Desiree Scheffrahn and her family. Desiree suffered from severe breast cancer but she survived. He introduced the idea of an international charity platform for breast cancer awareness and funding (awareness, advocacy, alliances, alignment and accreditation).
Amanda Witteman worked as an international model in Paris, Milan, New York and other fashion capitals of the world. During her modeling career she graduated as a Master of Science in Clinical Psychology. She was also involved in setting up various initiatives in the health sector. Amanda got inspired and engaged with the Pink Ribbon movement when she met Walter. Later they married. Amanda has become the international face of Pink Ribbon.
Throughout the years this initiative has grown into the international platform as we know it today, covering more than 30 countries over 5 continents.
Amanda & Walter 2008