The Loyal Order of Moose lodge on West Jefferson Street is having a Pink Out Night, and the public is invited to the party.

Bobbi Rock, coordinator of Pink Out Night, said the fourth annual event will start at 7 p.m. Saturday at Moose Lodge 64, 225 W. Jefferson St.

Those planning to attend are asked to wear as much pink as possible to show their support for survivors of breast cancer or to honor a victim of breast cancer or other cancers affecting women like ovarian, uterine or cervical cancers.

The free evening will include more than 15 baskets in a raffle, a 50/50 raffle, snacks, and for the first time, a live band. The Pulse will play from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. for guests' listening and dancing pleasure.

“This is the first year we've had a band and not a DJ,” Rock said. “It should be a really good turnout.”

Rock said the Moose Lodge will pay for the band and donate a percentage of the profit from each beverage sold to Butler Breast and Women's Cancer Support Group.

Rock said the support group provides services and funding to those being treated for cancer affecting women, including medical copays, medication, utility bills, gasoline cards, baby-sitting fees or any other expense that becomes a hardship for a woman undergoing cancer treatment.

“They need to be focusing on their healing and not financial issues,” Rock said of the support group, which has been lead by breast cancer survivor Cheryl Schaefer for more than 25 years.

The top three “pinked out” people at the event will win prizes as well.

The Pink Out Night last year raised $2,000 for the support group, Rock said. Funds raised have increased in each of the three years of the event's existence, so Rock hopes for a big payout to the group this year.

She said about 100 people attended last year. Some were cancer survivors, while others were friends or family members of someone who fought or lost their battle with the disease.

“It's a nice mix,” Rock said. “There are a lot of cancer patients or people in remission, but everyone knows somebody who has cancer or has gone through cancer, so there is a variety of people.”

Rock is quick to brush off any accolades for coordinating the event.

“The Moose Lodge 64 deserves all the credit,” Rock said. “I just presented them with the idea four years ago and they said 'absolutely', and it just took off from there.”

Schaefer said she and her husband, Jeffrey, will attend Pink Out Night at the Moose.

“It's an awful lot of fun,” she said.

Schaefer said while needs vary among local women with breast cancer, the most common needs are gasoline or grocery cards, prostheses and bras.

Others find that certain procedures were not covered by insurance as expected, or that high copays are unmanageable, especially if the patient is not working because of her cancer.

Some women simply need connected to an agency that can help them with financial issues after diagnosis, which Schaefer also assists with.

“These are all the things we help them with,” Schaefer said.

She said the support group also meets from 7 to 9 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month at Butler Health System's Crossroads Campus on the first floor.

Schaefer took up the cause of helping breast cancer patients 25 years ago. Her mother had breast cancer, and at age 14 she cared for an aunt with breast cancer.

Schaefer herself is a breast cancer survivor, having beat the disease in both 2000 and 2008.

She appreciates the donations from organizations and individuals who believe in her mission of allowing breast cancer patients to heal without financial worries.

“Without them, we wouldn't be able to do what we do,” Schaefer said.