A Relay for Life fundraiser has its donors seeing pink. Pink flamingos, that is.

The latest fundraiser by the Faithful Fighters Relay team involves sticking dozens of the plastic birds in an unsuspecting person’s yard.

The team makes its money when the person who was “flocked” pays a minimum of $10 to have the birds moved to another person’s lawn. A person can also purchase insurance for $5 so that their yards are not targeted twice.

Team captains Mandy Thompson and Kristi Caudill, both teachers, were out Friday afternoon flocking their first yard, which happens to be the home of Caudill’s mother and stepfather. When they were done, the yard on 11th Street in Ironton was covered with about 50 flamingos.

“My step dad walked out and he was like, ‘I don’t even want to know what’s going on,’ and he left,” Caudill said, laughing.

The team is hoping to raise $30,000 for Relay for Life, which will be held May 20 and 21 at Chesapeake Middle School. Last year the team raised $24,000.

Because Caudill and Thompson are also volleyball coaches at St. Joseph High School, they wanted to use a fundraiser that their students and players could get involved with. The volleyball players will be helping flock yards.

“We were just researching fundraising ideas on the Internet and came across this,” Thompson said. “It was kind of different and it stood out.”

Money raised at Relay for Life benefits the American Cancer Society.

It’s a cause that hits very close to home for Caudill, who is a survivor of thyroid cancer. She’s been participating in Relay even before her diagnosis, though.

“My mom was diagnosed with leukemia six years ago, so we started whenever she got diagnosed,” Caudill said. “Then when I got diagnosed last year we just got more and involved.”

Similarly, Thompson got involved when fellow team captain Megan Filkins, her cousin, was diagnosed with brain cancer and melanoma.

“I like the night of Relay for Life because of all the activities and stuff,” Caudill said. “It was neat before I was a survivor to come and watch all the survivors (have) their night. But now it’s especially neat because now I’m a survivor.”

Thompson added that she liked that it encourages togetherness.

“It’s neat to see the community come together for one big cause,” Thompson said.

For more information contact Thompson at (740) 533-7713 or Caudill at (740) 250-1219.