MEET THE CALENDAR GIRLS OF 30A: The Polkadot Pool Pussycats shed clothes for a cause and a calendar

Women living along the 30A corridor are known for their creativity and spirit. That spirit really comes to life when there is a cause close to their hearts.

As people around the nation recognized Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, a group of women who meet Monday through Friday for swim exercises wondered what they could do to help.  

The women's answer and inspiration came from the movie “The Calendar Girls.”

Copying the movie’s idea, 12 members of the Polkadot Pool Pussycats, or PPPs, decided taking their clothes off to help find a cure would be the least they could do.

"We have all known the disease," said PPP leader Didon Comer. "So many of our friends have gone through it."

Didon rented the movie for the benefit of members who had not seen it and by the time it ended, any who were hanging back were in.

"After watching the movie, the girls were all fighting for a spot," said Comer, but only 12 could be included this year.

"We just looked at each other and said, 'We can do that," said Nancy McConnell. "The women in England who did this raised half-a-million dollars!"  

Comer is Miss January, her birthday month. Rounding out the 12 Calendar Girls of 30A are: Jan Kubacki, Sandy Luchtefeld, Patti Johnson, Redd Vizard, Bert Summerville, Karen White, Nina Horn, Kris Chavez, McConnell, Judy Foster and Dottie Hidell. Chavez did all the photography except the shot of her, where her husband, Manny, took over.

"I can now say I have been naked at The Red Bar," said Chavez with a laugh.

However, the women, whose ages range from 48-75, all agree the shots are "tastefully draped
nudes" of which their husbands or significant others proudly approve.

"My husband thought it was hysterically funny at first, but I think all the men are proud. Some men like to have a sweet young thing on their arm. But we all have fabulous backgrounds and have contributed to make our lives better. We have so much to offer society. I do feel we are beautiful women inside and out," said Summerville.  
Each woman secured a sponsor for her page and most shoots were done on location at the sponsor's business.

Sponsors included Cafe Thirty-A, The Red Bar, Richard Arriaga's Pearls Gone Wild, Magpie's jewelry, Davis Properties, The Back Door Gallery, Edward Jones, 30A TV, Bud &
Alley's, Davis Properties, La Botana Cafe, Restaurant Fire and Destin Realty.  

An open-to-the-public launch party will be held in December when the calendars are ready. After expenses, all proceeds go to breast cancer research. The calendars will sell at the sponsor’s shop.

"It's going to be a quality item," said Chavez, who hopes to raise at least several thousand dollars from sale of the calendars for $25 each.     

"The disease touches all of us and leaves such a profound effect on each and every one of us," said Foster.  

MAKE THIS IS A SIDEBAR:
Aside from non-melanoma skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women.
Breast cancer is the No. 1 cause of cancer death in Hispanic women. It is the second most common cause of cancer death in white, black, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native women.

In 2005 (the most recent year numbers are available), 186,467 women were diagnosed with breast cancer. Of those, 41,116 women died from the disease.

The risk of getting breast cancer increases with age. Almost 3.5 percent of women who are now 60 years old will get breast cancer sometime during the next 10 years. That is, three or four out of every 100 women who are 60 years old today will get breast cancer by age of 70. These statistics are from the Center for Disease Control.

Source: CDC