Step One's pink Jeep will drive breast cancer awareness and donations through October

FORT WALTON BEACH - Step One Automotive Group started announced its third annual "Drive Out Breast Cancer" awareness campaign on Wednesday, unveiling a bright pink Jeep Cherokee L that will be used to collect signatures during the event.

With each signature on the vehicle, Step One will donate $1, which will go toward various charities with a cap of $15,000 split between the St. Joesph Candler Telfair Mammography Fund in Georgia, Pink Topps in central Alabama and Ascension Sacred Heart Foundations across the Florida panhandle and Andalusia, Alabama.

Step One's marketing director, Maureen Bierman said the event has three goals: breast cancer prevention, encouraging the public to support breast cancer research and hopefully finding a cure.

“I want to thank everyone at Step One Automotive for partnering with us for prevention,” said Roxanne Thomas of Ascension Sacred Heart. Thomas said Ascension Sacred Heart has invested in 3D mammography technology, which can be used to catch cancer sooner.

"We catch it early, we can take it out and we can cure it," Thomas said. She said patients who want to be screened can do so by self-scheduling their appointment.

Last year, Step One's campaign donated nearly $15,000 to local charities. This year, Step One hopes that it can surpass its goal.

The signature campaign drive runs through October, and the vehicle can be spotted at local events throughout the community.

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Drive Out Breast Cancer: Step One begins pink Jeep campaign