Pink Pamper Bubble Ball to raise funds for women fighting cancer, survivors
Women in gowns and men in suits will gracefully glide into the Double Tree Hotel in Cranberry this Friday, Oct. 7, for the annual Pink Pamper Bubble Ball to raise funds for breast cancer fighters and survivors.
The Bubble Ball is the Bethel Park-based nonprofit’s largest fundraising event, and proceeds benefit Pink Pamper’s HaLo Fund.
“When a woman who is diagnosed with that terrible ‘C’ word … she wonders, ‘Am I going to lose my hair?'” said Marian Geisler, founder and president of Pink Pamper. “We started, five years ago, the Bubble Ball. We decided we need to make more money. We give them their dignity.”
After undergoing tests and treatment, women battling cancer receive a voucher to put toward the purchase of a wig at Hair Enhancements of Pittsburgh. A new halo, as Pink Pamper calls the hair pieces, helps restore a woman’s confidence and allows her to feel more like herself.
“I’m a cosmetologist by trade, and Lea Ann (Rattigan, Pink Pamper vice president) is a cosmetologist. We hear all kinds of stories. We’ve had cancer in our families. Working with these women, you learn a lot,” said Geisler.
Stories include the rejuvenating effects of a new hair piece, and getting glammed up for a ball.
Loverboy spirits will flow at this year’s event, thanks to Pittsburgh native and Bravo “Summer House” star Carl Radke, who is bringing his famed brand to the ball’s bar.
Along with great drinks and food, the Bubble Ball will feature music, a charity auction and the presentation of both the Woman of Courage and the Oncologist of the Year awards.
The Woman of Courage Award “is for a woman who has had cancer and turned around and helped other women,” said Geisler.
This year’s honoree is Susan Castriano, who after battling invasive lobular carcinoma created a clean, microwave-safe alternative to traditional lids and wraps used to reheat food. Castriano’s Cuchina Safe® Vented Glass Lid and Cover’n Cook™ Glass Microwave Plate Cover uses BPA-free glass to reduce the risk of harmful chemicals leaking into food during reheating.
Dr. Shannon Puhalla will be awarded Oncologist of the Year.
Geisler, who lost her mother to leukemia, said the best part of hosting the fun-filled, pinked-out evening that is the Bubble Ball is knowing the money is being poured back into the community, to women who need it.
“We know that with the money that we make, we know that we’re going to be able to help, definitely help, these women get their hair prosthesis,” she said.
Last year, the Bubble Ball raised $150,000, and this year Geisler aims to raise at least $200,000. With last year’s funds, Pink Pamper was able to donate 152 halos to area women.
Though tickets for the ball are sold out, folks can still help Pink Panther reach its fundraising goal. Geisler welcomes the public to browse and bid the Bubble Ball online auction, which includes box seat tickets to a Steelers game, a Nemacolin Woodlands golf package, designer jewelry, accessories and art.
Auction proceeds will benefit the HaLo Fund. The auction site is up and running and can be found online at https://one.bidpal.net/ppb2022.
The Bubble Ball not only raises funds for the Pink Pampers’s HaLo initiative; it also kicks off the Christmas giving season.
“Right after (the ball) is over, we start fundraising for our G.I.F.T. Fund. Last year, we were so blessed. We had 60 families and 133 children. Everyone got everything on their list,” Geisler said, noting holiday shopping can be stressful for mothers battling cancer. “We take the pressure off the mom and also the dad, knowing if they can’t come up with the money, this is going to be taken care of. When you’re stressed, you can’t heal.”
Folks are welcome to donate to the G.I.F.T. Fund online at or to sponsor a family.
For more on the Pink Pamper nonprofit, the Bubble Ball or the G.I.F.T. Fund, go to https://pinkpamper.org/.