Report on the Nevada County Pink Patch Project and its Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

1.0 Executive Summary

This report details a community-led initiative in Nevada County, California, known as the Pink Patch Project. The project focuses on raising awareness and funds for breast cancer through a collaborative effort involving local public safety agencies and the community. The initiative directly supports several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), primarily SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). This report outlines the project’s 2025 activities, its operational model, and its significant contributions to these global goals.

2.0 Project Overview: The 2025 Breast Cancer Challenge Coin Initiative

In observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, seven local law enforcement and fire agencies in Nevada County have organized a design contest for the 2025 Pink Patch Project Breast Cancer Challenge Coin.

2.1 Design Contest and Outcome

• Objective: To engage the community in creating a design for the annual fundraising coin.
• 2025 Winner: Sharyl Shelton of Penn Valley was unanimously selected as the winner.
• Winning Design: The design incorporates elements symbolic of the region, including pine trees and California poppies, integrated with the historic pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness. The reverse side features an American flag and lists all participating agencies.

2.2 Fundraising and Beneficiaries

The core of the project is a fundraising campaign with a clear and transparent benefit to the local community.

1. Methodology: Participating agencies will sell the newly designed Challenge Coins for $20 each, alongside agency-worn Pink Patches and other merchandise, beginning October 1.
2. Allocation of Proceeds: 100 percent of the proceeds are directed to support local breast cancer services and research.
3. Beneficiary Institutions:
   • Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Foundation (Grass Valley, CA)
   • Tahoe Forest Health System Foundation (Truckee, CA)

Alignment with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

3.0 SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

The Pink Patch Project makes a direct contribution to ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being by addressing a critical non-communicable disease.

• Target 3.4: The initiative actively works to reduce premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment by funding local breast cancer services and promoting early detection.
• Community Health: By channeling all funds to local hospital foundations, the project strengthens the capacity of the local healthcare system to provide essential services to residents.

4.0 SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

The project enhances community inclusivity, safety, and resilience by fostering strong local engagement and support systems.

• Target 11.7: It promotes an inclusive community by creating a public design contest, allowing residents to actively participate in a civic initiative.
• Local Resilience: The collaboration between public safety agencies and citizens strengthens social cohesion and builds a supportive environment for individuals and families affected by breast cancer, contributing to a more resilient community.

5.0 SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

This initiative is a model for multi-stakeholder partnerships, demonstrating effective collaboration between public institutions and civil society to achieve a common goal.

• Target 17.17: The project exemplifies an effective public-private-civil society partnership. The collaboration leverages the visibility of public safety agencies to support the health-focused missions of local foundations.

5.1 Participating Partner Agencies

1. Nevada County Sheriff’s Office
2. Grass Valley Police Department
3. Truckee Police Department
4. Nevada City Police Department
5. Grass Valley Fire Department
6. Nevada County Consolidated Fire District
7. Nevada County Probation

6.0 Conclusion and Future Actions

The Nevada County Pink Patch Project is a significant local initiative that aligns strongly with global sustainability objectives. By raising funds and awareness for breast cancer, it directly advances SDG 3. Through its community-centric and collaborative model, it also reinforces the principles of SDG 11 and SDG 17. The sale of coins and merchandise, scheduled to commence on October 1, represents a key upcoming action for the project’s 2025 campaign.

Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

• The article’s central theme is the “Pink Patch Project,” an initiative focused on raising awareness and funds for breast cancer. This directly aligns with SDG 3, which aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. The project’s goals, as stated in the article, are to support “early detection and prevention” and to benefit “local breast cancer research and services,” which are core components of promoting good health.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

• The article highlights a multi-stakeholder partnership to achieve a common goal. It explicitly states that “seven local law enforcement and fire agencies” are collaborating on the project. These agencies include the “Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, Grass Valley Police Department, Truckee Police Department, Nevada City Police Department, Grass Valley Fire Department, Nevada County Consolidated Fire District, and Nevada County Probation.” This collaboration between different public entities and the community to raise funds for health foundations is a clear example of the partnerships promoted by SDG 17.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

• The initiative is a community-based effort within Nevada County, involving local public service agencies and community members. By raising funds for local health infrastructure (“Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Foundation” and “Tahoe Forest Health System Foundation”), the project contributes to making the community safer, more resilient, and more inclusive by strengthening essential local services.

What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Targets for SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

1. Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being.
   • The article’s focus on “Breast Cancer Awareness Month,” “early detection and prevention,” and funding for “research and services” directly contributes to this target. Breast cancer is a non-communicable disease, and the activities described are key strategies for reducing its mortality rate.
2. Target 3.c: Substantially increase health financing and the recruitment, development, training and retention of the health workforce in developing countries, especially in least developed countries and small island developing States.
   • While the context is not a developing country, the principle of increasing health financing is directly addressed. The article states that “100 percent of proceeds” from the sale of challenge coins and merchandise go towards local health foundations. This is a direct mechanism for increasing financing for local health services related to breast cancer.

Targets for SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

1. Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships.
   • The “Pink Patch Project” is a textbook example of this target in action. It is a public-civil society partnership where multiple public agencies (“seven local law enforcement and fire agencies”) collaborate with the community and local non-profit foundations to achieve a specific health outcome. The article details how these agencies “collectively sell coins, pink patches, and other merchandise” to fundraise.

Targets for SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

1. Target 11.a: Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning.
   • The project strengthens social links within the region by uniting multiple agencies and communities across Nevada County for a single cause. The fundraising benefits health foundations in both “Grass Valley, California and Tahoe Forest Health System Foundation in Truckee, California,” demonstrating a strengthening of regional support for local health infrastructure.

Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Indicators for SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

• The article provides a direct financial indicator for progress: the amount of money raised for health services. It specifies that “100 percent of proceeds” are dedicated to this cause and that the “Pink Patch Project Breast Cancer Challenge Coins” are sold for “$20 each.” The total funds raised would be a clear metric of the increased health financing generated by the project.

Indicators for SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

• A quantifiable indicator for the partnership’s scope is explicitly mentioned: the “seven local law enforcement and fire agencies” that participate. The existence of the “Pink Patch Project” itself, along with its annual activities like the design contest and fundraising events, serves as a tangible indicator of an active and effective partnership.

SDGs, Targets and Indicators Table

Source: yubanet.com