(12/2) Thurmont Municipal Building became a sea of pink Nov. 29 as the community celebrated a Gateway to The Cure milestone – its largest donation to date. The Thurmont Town Council presented the Hurwitz Breast Cancer Fund at Frederick Health Hospital with a check for $22,174, the money having been garnered as the result of Thurmont’s 9th Annual Gateway to The Cure Campaign.

"We give thanks to all who have supported our journey for the last nine years for Gateway to The Cure," said Economic Development Manager Vicki Grinder.

Together, the Town of Thurmont has collected a grand total of $138,174 since the campaign’s inception in 2014, according to Grinder. She marveled in appreciation at the community’s dedication and volunteer support to not only keep the campaign running but thriving each and every year.

"At every one of our events there are smiles, smiles, smiles everywhere. " Grinder noted that all the winners in the Golf Classic donated their money back. That speaks volumes about how people feel about the cause, she said.

John Stiner, who runs the Cure’s 5K, said the Gateway to The Cure effort was close to his heart, as his father had cancer. It was a privilege to do this for the town. They plan on running a 10K in the spring – they think it will draw a lot of people who would enjoy running on the rural roads and over all the local covered bridges.

An anonymous donor agave $1,000 to purchase pink light bulbs – they were put in stores and given away. "The thinking of the donor," Grinder said, "was that more people would pick them up if they were free, and once they had them they would turn them on, and in doing so, remind people of the cause, and hopefully get more involved." She was right, as Thurmont was a sea of pink all November.

Grinder credited local businesses as: "The heart and soul of Gateway to The Cure" for their continual support.

The Patty Hurwitz Fund began in 1999, after Hurwitz was diagnosed with breast cancer. The fund is used to support early cancer detection methods at the Stockman Cancer Institute in Frederick, which provides access to the diagnostics county residents need without having to travel far from home.

To date, the Fund has collected close to $3 million, of which $138,000 is from Thurmont, Jeff Hurwitz, Patty’s husband, told the Town Council.

Hurwitz congratulated Thurmont for reaching such an outstanding milestone for such a small town. "There’s a saying, ‘You are as big as your heart is,’ so I would say you are a really big town," he said.

Hurwitz acknowledged breast cancer doesn't stop because there is a pandemic and the need for breast cancer funding is just as strong if not stronger now than ever. "You said you could do it, and you did it … from the bottom of my heart, I thank you all. It takes a lot, this is such a wonderful effort," he said.

Once again, Gateway to The Cure proved that neighbors helping neighbors is the spirit of the Town of Thurmont. Grinder said.