Last year, local psychotherapist Michelle Power founded Pawsitively 4 Pink, a nonprofit organization that helps financially supplement women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. The organization grew out of the success of her apparel company, Gosh Doggit, when she realized she could use her profits to help women who were struggling financially to manage missed days of work, medical expenses and transportation issues. Powers wife, Kathy Chapman, has quickly become an indispensable part of the Pawsitively 4 Pink team. This interview was conducted prior to the issuing of coronavirus restrictions; please visit http://www.pawsitively4pink.com for updates on the status of events and services.

Tell me about your journey and how you ended up a part of this organization.

My journey would be one of support for my wife. This is her organization that she has a passion for and we very quickly realized that it's difficult to be a party of one doing something like this. When things started to take off, I knew I needed to help and in doing that I became more passionate about it myself.

What is your official title?

Im the president.

Thats a pretty serious role.

When we do events, I act as the day-of coordinator. Michelle is expected to go out and socialize with people and my help enables her to do that. To be honest, I'm kind of a control freak anyway, so it works out perfectly.

What is your day job?

I have three jobs. I have my own real estate company called First Step Realty. I work at the courthouse; I'm the administrator for the district court judges I've been there for 38 years. And, I also do bail commissioning at night. I'm able to help Pawsitively 4 Pink by checking the email and responding to help women access our services. Michelle is directly helping all these women. It's not a big team of people doing the work. She's contacting the women, talking to them about what they need, finding out what's the best fit for them, calling their landlords, trying to negotiate the terms for them. I mean, it's really hands on. I don't think people realize how much time she works. She's working 12-hour days.

Can you speak on the initiatives that Pawsitively 4 Pink is championing?

Our mission from the beginning has been to serve women in the community who are nancially struggling due to breast cancer. It has been a journey over the last year. We've gone through many different board members to nd the right t. We've had a lot of transitions. We have a really strong board right now. They're in it for the long haul. We have identied some very committed people. We're different from other organizations in that we help low-income and underserved women regardless of whether they're doing traditional treatments. Whether it's radiation, chemotherapy, surgery, traditional medications, or alternative medicine, which includes acupuncture and holistic approaches. We will assist with their nancial obligations for any mode of treatment. I don't believe there is any other organization dealing with this particular cause that helps women six months out of treatment. The majority of nonprots cease providing assistance when women stop treatment. I just think that's such a disservice. I mean, their lives are still upside down.

Do you have a big fundraiser coming up?

We just had a drag queen meat rafe and It was great. We had a lot of fun and we hope to collaborate with our host Joslyn Fox again. We have our second annual soiree, which is scheduled for April 4th at Maironis Park. We already have 100 rafe prizes, including trips to Myrtle Beach and a $7,000 diamond bracelet. All the items were donated to us. Following our second annual fundraiser is our second annual golf tournament, which is June 13 at Leicester Country Club. Then we have a "Tatas and Tails 5k" planned for October 3. That will be a dog-friendly event.

Who have your biggest supporters been during your first year?

I think it's important for the people that have supported us to know how thankful we are to them. Interestingly enough, we don't know all of our contributors. For example, Country Bank reached out to us because their employees have opportunities throughout the year to pick out a cause to donate to. We have no idea who this employee was, but someone picked us. We got a call from Country Bank and they donated almost $2,500 by surprise and agreed to sponsor our event. We're so thankful for that. As a local bank, they have really stepped up. Another one is The Botanist, a medical marijuana and cannabis dispensary. Again, they gave us an unexpected donation and they have continued to support us.

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Last Call with Kathy Chapman, president of Pawsitively 4 Pink - Worcester Mag