Tina McDonough kissed the street sweeper for good luck on a warm, sunny Friday afternoon in Ravensdale.
The sweeper was about to be loaded up on a truck bound for Los Angeles, Calif., where it is scheduled to be auctioned off by Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers.
Half of the proceeds will go toward the Valley Girls and Guys team — which has more than 80 members — in its efforts to raise money for the Seattle 3-Day Walk Sept. 24-26. Money raised by walk participants goes to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
McDonough, who lives in Ravensdale, began participating in the 3-Day just four years ago and her team has grown from four to 86 this year.
She is owner and president of One.7, which is described as “the largest used sweeper dealer in the U.S.” in a statement released by Ritchie Bros.
This particular sweeper is a breast cancer themed vehicle, painted white with large pink ribbons on either side, and the name of McDonough’s team on the doors. There’s even a pink ribbon magnet on the bumper
Last year McDonough donated half the proceeds from a pink 2001 Freightliner/Elgin Broom Bear street sweeper that was purchased by an individual from Tempe, Ariz., at an unreserved public auction in Olympia. The buyer even kept the truck in its original pink color.
“It was a no-brainer teaming up with Ritchie Bros. again to sell another sweeper and raise funds for breast cancer,” McDonough said in a statement. “Ritchie Bros. really got behind us in supporting this cause last year when we sold the pink sweeper in Olympia. They did a top notch job and exceeded our expectations.”
The street sweeper being sold this year is a unique white 2000 Elgin Crosswind air vacuum sweeper with brand new paint, new brooms, decals and Alcoa wheels. The rear of the truck is painted with the slogan: “Caution. This truck is working to sweep away breast cancer.”
It will be sold in L.A. on Sept. 16 at an unreserved public auction that will feature more than 600 heavy equipment items and trucks.
Brad Pugsley, owner of Ravensdale CinBad Trucking, is hauling the sweeper to L.A. free of charge.
McDonough’s team has already raised nearly $160,000 and her personal goal for the team is $250,000.
All this began in 2007 when McDonough and three of her friends signed up to walk in honor of a friend.
“We didn’t really know what we were getting ourselves into,” McDonough said. “My friend that I was walking for that year ended up passing away from breast cancer three months later. So, I formed a team and said, ‘That’s it. We’re doing this every year until we find a cure.’”
The Seattle 3-Day Walk for the Cure will be Sept. 24-26. It begins on Friday morning, Sept. 24, at 60 Acre Park in Redmond and wraps up Sunday, Sept. 26, at Memorial Stadium in Seattle.
For more information about Valley Girls and Guys find them on Facebook or on the event site at www.the3day.org. Click “Donate to a Participant” then search for Tina McDonough to go to the team’s page.
