Komen tents find new role as shelters overseas

ANGOLA, Ind. (AP) - There was a whole lot of pink going on at SonLight Community Church Wednesday afternoon.

Numerous volunteers from the church helped spruce up pink tents for future use as shelters in Third World and war-torn nations.

The tents were being repurposed from Susan G. Komen Foundation Race for the Cure events. The tents at SonLight were most likely from Cleveland, said Jared Bignell, associate pastor.

"We're always looking for a local opportunity to serve," Bignell said.

As many as 100 people from the church unpacked and set up the tents so they could air out; some had been used in the rain then put away wet, Bignell said. After the tents were cleaned and dried, they would be repacked so they could be shipped around the world.

"A retired missionary with Campus Crusade for Christ, Marvin Bozard, approached us with a very unique project that he has taken on. Marvin partners with the Susan G. Komen Foundation's Race for the Cure events all over the country. During the Race for the Cure events, participants sleep all weekend in bright pink tents. At the end of the event, Marvin collects the pink tents and gives them a new purpose," Bignell said.

Bozard is from the Coldwater, Mich., area. He approached SonLight and asked that the youth group take care of preparing 100 tents for shipping out overseas.

"I said the whole church could get behind it" and prepare 500 tents, Bignell said.

"This is bringing all ages together," said Kori Tuckerman, who heads SonLight's children's ministry.

The tents were set up in rows in the church's parking lot and glowed pink. Church officials were hoping to take an aerial photo of the tents.

Bozard has sent countless pink tents overseas to be given as housing for refugees in war zones and to the homeless in poverty stricken nations.

SonLight has active mission work in Haiti, Panama and Ethiopia.

Bignell said if church members were willing, they would work on more tents for Bozard. Bignell said not everyone in the church is able to do mission work, but a project such as the tents helps with the involvement of many.