Christa Floresca was deeply affected when she lost her friend, Jen, to breast cancer on Aug. 1, 2007. "It took me two years to decide what I wanted to do with that grief," said Floresca. Pink Jams!, a benefit concert taking place at the Clarendon Ballroom in Arlington on Nov. 18 is Floresca’s way of honoring the memory of her friend and raising money for breast cancer.

"I couldn’t just write a check any more," said Floresca adding, "I had to do something with her story, it had enough of an effect on me for me to do something else." The Alexandria resident is organizing the fund-raising event in her free time; she works full-time at The Bill of Rights Institute in Arlington, as a vice-president of development. "I’ve been in fund-raising for 14 years. My first real job out of college was with a nonprofit," said Floresca. It was natural for Floresca to utilize her years of experience in fund-raising and event planning for this project.

Floresca describes Jen as an "amazing" woman and a great friend. "She was a fund-raiser like me and there were a lot of things about our professional lives that were in tandem with each other." Jen was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 35 while she was pregnant with her second child. She did not live long enough to celebrate her daughter’s first birthday. "Her death changed me … People can tell you that life is too short until they’re blue in the face, but it’s not, until you watch life become short."

In June Floresca launched the Pink Jams! Web site. "I wanted to engage the community in a way that was different and unique." Floresca also wanted to reach a younger audience: to engage them with things they love, like live music. Lisa Shapiro, Floresca’s younger sister, a friend of the Arlington-based musician, Justin Trawick suggested that she enlist his help. "He lives three blocks from the ballroom and his mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer last year. He’s an only child and it’s something that deeply affected him."

Finding the right venue for the event was a challenge. Floresca said, "I contacted a lot of venues that were not interested in taking the risk. The folks at the Clarendon Ballroom were very generous with their assistance. Also helping Floresca by donating their time will be the emcee, Miss D.C. 2008, Katie Marie Grinold, the Washington Redskins cheerleaders, the opening band, Memphis 59, and the headliner, the Justin Trawick Group.

"The response has been overwhelming, everywhere you turn, there’s someone who’s been affected by it [breast cancer]." Floresca has set a goal of $10,000 for the event and hopes to also raise awareness about breast cancer and engage the D.C. community. "Most of the people involved in this project, I’d never met in my life."

Net proceeds from Pink Jams! will be donated to the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, managed by the Avon Foundation. The funds support breast cancer education and awareness, screening and diagnosis, access to treatment and support services and scientific research into the cause, prevention, treatment and cure.

Floresca said Jen’s death changed her. "There are so many things I probably wouldn’t have tried." She smiled and added, "Believe it or not, I wear pink and last year I bought a Harley."

For tickets to the event, visit www.pinkjamsdc.com