Local businessmen take part in Real Men Wear Pink campaign

Cancer has impacted the lives of many people. 

Among them are Ben Franklin, an Alfa Insurance agent, and Josh Clarke, president of the church-planting organization Doulos Partners. 

Both men work in Vestavia Hills. 

Franklin’s grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992 before it went into remission. Clarke recently lost his aunt to breast cancer, and his mother battled another form of cancer. 

“I think just about everybody, some way or somehow, cancer has touched or affected their family,” Franklin said. 

It is for this reason that Franklin and Clarke will participate in the American Cancer Society's 2019 Real Men Wear Pink campaign. 

In February, the local duo will join 19 other men from the area in wearing pink every day. Their goal is to raise awareness and funds to fight breast cancer. 

“It connects people’s desire to make a difference with a mechanism to actually make that difference, and that’s exciting for me,” Clarke said, “because I feel like if you can get people off the starting block and involved with what’s happening, we can really make a difference together.” 

This will be both men’s first year participating in the Real Men Wear Pink campaign, which is themed “Cupid’s Got Nothing On Us.” They were selected to participate by the American Cancer Society. 

Each will aim to raise at least $2,500 through his February efforts, primarily social media promotion and donation requests. 

Franklin said he also plans to sell T-shirts or wristbands to help meet his fundraising goal.

“I don’t think it will be a walk in the park, but I think it is [attainable],” Franklin said.  

Franklin has worked at Alfa Insurance for the past five years. Before that, the Birmingham native spent 15 years with AIG.

Clarke has been the president of Doulos Partners for two years. He relocated from Tennessee when he took the job. 

If either raises the most money among the 21 campaign participants, he will add another line to his resume: 2019 Birmingham Pink Man of the Year. 

“I’m going to work as hard as I can to let people know that I want them involved in the fight against cancer,” Clarke said. 

The American Cancer Society did not have a Real Men Wear Pink campaign in 2018. But the 2017 campaign raised nearly $137,000, according to a release from the society. 

Other participants in the 2019 campaign include Birmingham Legion FC player Chandler Hoffman and Taco Mama owner Will Haver, among many others. 

“I just want people to know the time is now to get involved, and if you can’t do anything else, give money to the American Cancer Society to help make the difference,” Clarke said. “I hope to see in my lifetime cancer doesn’t mean what it does today. If I can be a small piece of that, then doing that in memory of my aunt and continuing that fight is worth it.”

The involvement of Franklin and Clarke with the Real Men Wear Pink campaign can be followed through social media. Find Franklin on Facebook by searching Ben Franklin – ALFA Insurance or on Instagram by searching @benalfapics. 

Clarke’s Twitter handle is @joshbclarke.