It started with a personal “quest” to make the perfect PINK T-shirt for myself and GREW into so much more.

The principle behind Wear PINK is to celebrate the colour as the unifying spark behind our presence, kindness and efforts. Whether it be a team we are cheering for or a charity/cause we are trying to raise money and awareness for.

Pouring heaps of positivity in means we can draw on that energy to unify and build us up stronger.

You may notice the way the PINK label resembles a Name Tag sticker. You would be 100% correct and this is where the story behind PINK gets personal.

Lineage and life circumstances thrust my life into a field of vision that I was completely unaware of until my horizons expanded and I started to see life and people, with a different lens. A lens that helped me focus as I was thinking about the perfect t-shirt for Pink T-Shirt Day.

I was reflecting on the times of community outreach, from my past, and how the energy would change once folks knew my name, my lineage. Folks got a lot more polite and the “volunteer assignments” got easier and easier. I felt like this had become another obstacle or barrier that was holding us all back from achieving some great things.

This “lens” helped me to focus and realize that “the shirt” is all about the energy we are putting into the colour and the colour is there, over your heart. Channelling the energy and love you have with others.

At the end of the day, it will not be your name, or the day you had, or where you grew up, that will make the difference to someone, but your kindness and humanity will.

The Wear PINK Collection offers Sustainability

1 in 5 garments makes its way to the landfill, without even being tried on, never mind worn. How many “race shirts” have only been worn once or if all? Focusing on the colour means less race t-shirts each year; and let’s find better ways to lift up our artists that adorn those shirts.

Now you also never have an excuse to not participate in St. Patrick’s Day celebrations; as well as promote Mental Health or many of the other charities, causes, conditions.

Think of your Wear PINK gear as a next level sustainable, visible, functional and creative Awareness Ribbon

The Wear PINK Collection Gives Back

There are 2 Community Outreach programs that are important to TURNIP TEEZ and $5 from the sale of any WEAR PINK gear is set aside for these 2 great projects.

Firstly, The 519 Community Centre in Toronto was a very important place for my late friend Pauli Kivisto. While Pauli was with us, he was often at the community centre for one event or a meeting or a practice.

He shared with me the importance of having a community centre for Queer folks and inspired me to not only use the community centre but invest in my community.

Pauli lost his fight with depression in 2015.

This is “Ranger” Liam with yours truly, turniphed. Liam is a really remarkable man who has never let anyone of his struggles get him down. He also works just as hard to make sure other folks have what they need to face their struggles. He and I lift each other up when we have a bad day.

When I met Liam he was caring for others before taking care of himself. He was working full time as Chief Nurse of a very busy Emergency Department (currently on leave due to the decline in his health). He would take time on his days off,  money out of his own pocket to buy; underwear, socks, sleeping bags, toiletries, tote bags, medical supplies, gift cards for food.

Then Liam would head out to offer care and distribute what supplies he had, to folks on the streets without proper shelter, healthcare and nutrition.

Liam has not stopped heading out to care for these folks. Liam is now fighting his own terminal cancer, Parkinson’s disease and bone degeneration. Surgeries and chemotherapy have not stopped him from caring for others.

When you Wear PINK, you are making a contribution towards creating equity.

$5 from the sale of each Yippee Skippee T-shirt also goes to help Ranger Liam with his outreach.
(Also explains why I call him Ranger Liam – wink)