Karen Johnston with the pink pallet jack.

Clark Material Handling Company is helping fight breast cancer by donating pink pallet jacks to supporters of a leading breast cancer advocacy organisation.

The idea for a pink pallet jack came from Karen Johnston, a member of Clark's philanthropy committee.

"My first inspiration came from a photo of a 'tropical' pink Clark tugger from the San Jose International Airport, in Costa Rica.

"At that time I thought, 'why not?' Later, when a high-end retail store came out with an entire line of pink kitchen appliances to show their support for the Susan G Komen foundation, I thought of that pink Clark tugger," Johnston said.

Clark's corporate donations and philanthropy committee was founded by company president and CEO Dennis Lawrence in 2006. Made up of employee volunteers, the committee directs all corporate donations, fundraising efforts and company support of community events. It has raised more than USD35,000 for different causes.

With Clark's latest fundraising effort, a pink pallet jack will be delivered to each dealer who donates a specified amount to Susan G Komen for the Cure. Other donors will be in a June 1 draw for a pink pallet jack.

Clark human resources manager Sherry Myers said the pink pallet jack initiative had already generated more than USD17,000 for Susan G Komen for the Cure since it was introduced on May 1.

Next Monday, more than 300 guests, comprising US and international Clark dealers and government officials, will attend a series of events at Clark's Lexington headquarters to celebrate the company's 90th anniversary of producing its first forklift in 1917.

Clark claims to have built more than one million forklifts. Its products are distributed through a network of more than 550 dealer locations globally.

Clark employees with Susan G Komen's board of directors.

Susan G Komen for the Cure, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, was founded in 1982 by Nancy G Brinker and several of her friends in Brinker's sister's memory. According to the Susan G Komen website, the organisation and its international affiliates have pumped more than USD12.1 million for breast cancer research into 43 institutions in 13 countries outside the US. It aims to contribute more than USD1 billion over the next decade to breast health care and treatment and research.

Email sherrymyers@clarkmhc.com to donate to the Susan G Komen for the Cure foundation. To find out more about Susan G Komen, visit http://cms.komen.org/komen/index.htm.