ORANGE BEACH, Ala. — Sandra Courson and Angel Cowan wanted to make a statement about breast cancer.

And most days, that statement can be seen sitting on Canal Road in front of Orange Beach Towing, which also houses a new towing business of late.

Ta Ta Towing’s pride and joy is a pink tow truck complete with several slogans like “fight like a girl and win like a warrior” on the doors and “pulling for a cure” across the back window.

And though it has only been on the job a few weeks, it gets lots of attention when it hits the streets.

“Hopefully this is the first of many that we’ll have running around here,” Courson, the owner, said. “We were at a red light yesterday coming back from picking up a truck in Louisiana and this lady pulls up beside us and says ‘can I take a picture, can I take a picture?’

“It’s fun to see people’s reaction to that truck.”

Some of the crew members had some misgivings. At first.

“And all of our guys were like ‘I’m not driving no pink truck,’” Cowan, Courson’s daughter and office manager, said. “And Sandra said ‘that’s fine, if I have to drive it, I’ll drive it.’ They went over to pick it up and they saw the looks they were getting they said ‘hmmmm, maybe I’ll change my mind.’”

But the pair is doing more than just gathering admiring looks for the bright tow truck. A percentage of business generated for Ta-Ta Towing is going to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama.

Ta Ta Towing is donating 10 percent of each tow to research. And if a customer calls for Ta Ta Towing, but the truck is busy, Courson or Cowan will dispatch an Orange Beach Towing truck, but still donate the 10 percent.

“I know people and I’ve been close to people in my family that have had breast cancer,” Courson said. “Some have had their breasts removed because it was running in their family.”

The pair is also in the planning stages of a more ambitious project with the proceeds also going to breast cancer research.

“I want to do a calendar,” Courson said. “A calendar/coupon book featuring cancer survivors. I want six motorcycles and six boats. So I’ve got to find somebody with beautiful boats. I want to have breast cancer survivors from here on the Island.”

The plan is to have a sheet of coupons between each month featuring restaurants on Pleasure Island. Courson plans to make each coupon page the same.

Pictures above the calendar days will feature cancer survivors on a boat or motorcycle and a brief history of their cancer struggle.

“I’ve got to find some people who will help me,” Courson said. “I’ve got to find a photographer who wants their name out there. I’ve got to find somebody down here that can either help me put these together or put them together and they I’ve got to sell ‘em.

“You’re going to pay $12 for a coupon book, why not pay $15 for a calendar?”

And she wants to fill the calendar with regular people with amazing survival stories. They’ll also be featured on the calendar cover. With the pink tow, of course.

“I don’t want supermodels,” Courson said. “I want regular people with their real stories, tell what has happened to you. I just want to make people aware.”

When Courson came up with the idea for the new business, she was thinking of calling the business A Touch of Class.

“Because this is mainly a man’s business and I wanted to prove we could do it,” she said. “My brother came in here and said ‘sister, A Touch of Class, they don’t know what that is.’ He said name it Ta Ta.

“I told him if I can go up to the DMV office and get tags for my car that says Ta Ta Towing, then that’s what I’m going to do.”

Her personalized plates now say TATATW. And now she wants to combine the towing business with the fundraising effort. Help has already come in from unexpected places.

Kenny Clark of Superior Collision donated the pink paint job.

“He said ‘girl, if you want that truck pink, you bring it to me, I’m painting it,’” Courson said. “Somebody from Arab sent me the light bar. People are just on it and helping.

“I’m hoping to make a lot of money. I’m hoping to give away a lot of money.”