GALION, Ohio — Throwing darts is more than a hobby for the Pink Ladies — it’s an opportunity to raise funds to support those who have breast cancer.
The first Pink Ladies Dart League was formed in Yankton, South Dakota, in 2010. Since then, several leagues have cropped up, moving beyond the South Dakota borders and into locations across the country.
The first Ohio league was formed in 2014 at the Galion Owls Club.
Candy France, president of the Pink Ladies Galion Owls Club, said she was approached by Dusty Hall, league director of Lorain Music & Vending Co., who asked if she would be interested in starting a local league.
Two months after that conversation, the first Lorain Music Pink Ladies Dart League was formed with six teams and 12 participants.
“It’s now morphed into over 100 ladies who have played within the Lorain Music Pink Ladies league,” Hall said.
Lorain Music organizes and operates the local Pink Ladies Dart League. The all female soft tip dart league has locations in Mansfield, at the Backroom Lounge, and in Galion, at the Galion Owls Club, Z’s Grog and TNT Bar.
Members play each week and seasons can run as long as 14 weeks.
In addition to the weekly league fees, the Pink Ladies often hold fundraising events such as dart tournaments, bake sales, rummage sales, poker runs and golf tournaments to support breast cancer patients.
Between Lorain Music and Pink Ladies fundraisers, more than $6,500 has been raised this year. Additionally, over $2,500 has been donated to local charities that support breast cancer awareness, including the Loren Fund, OhioHealth Cancer Care Fund and the Nakon Foundation.
Lorain Music recently started a placard program as an another fundraising effort. Patrons of participating businesses can purchase a placard for $1 or more and then have their name written on the card which will be displayed at the business. If every card is sold for $1, an additional $2,000 will be raised.
“These ladies are the real heroes,” Hall said, praising the Pink Ladies for their commitment to the cause.
Women from all over the region participate in the league.
“Some of them have never touched a dart before in their life,” France said. “And then they found out that they do like to throw darts.”
More significantly, they enjoy hearing about how various people have been helped by their fundraising efforts.
France said she was touched by one instance in which the Pink Ladies paid the utility bill for a woman in Galion who has breast cancer. She said the woman was in a tough place financially and was so appreciative of the Pink Ladies’ gesture that she wanted to thank each one of them in person.
“She was the happiest person in the world,” France described. “I had tears in my eyes.”
There have been many similar cases, France noted.
“There’s a story behind every one of them and that’s what breaks your heart more than anything,” she said.
To learn more about the Lorain Music Pink Ladies Dart League, visit their Facebook page.
