Laura Morgan

December 2025 Issue

by Edwina Hoyle
Photography provided by Laura Morgan

Laura Morgan is effervescent, bubbly, and inspiring. This Southern girl’s laughter is contagious, and fun should be her middle name. Laura worked in city planning to revitalize and animate cities. She worked in Greenville, SC, for ten years and said, “Look at Greenville now. There was economic development, and we put heads in beds.”

Fifteen years ago, she used those skills to create Loco Motion, intending to get the Lowcountry in motion. But for what cause? She considered breast cancer, children, and animals. “If I chose animals, I’d end up with all the shelter animals in my backyard. With kids, I’d end up with the whole orphanage. So, boobs it was! We can even say ‘booby.’”

Laura had no personal experience with breast cancer, but her best friend’s mother fought a long battle. “She passed, and it had a huge impact on me to see my bestie go through it. That was a long time ago. Now there are so many affected,” she said.

In 2014, Laura took a year off. “Loco Motion was more than a full-time job. I was working 60-70 hours a week. Then I got a letter from the director of Beaufort Jasper Hampton Comprehensive Health Services. It said, ‘Just thinking about you. So many children still have their mamas thanks to you.’ It struck a big nerve, and I thought, I gotta bring this back.” So, Laura created Pledge the Pink and a foundation with the same name. “It’s cool to create something and continuously improve it,” she said. “What a difference we’ve made in ten years. This year we had a fundraising goal of $750,000 and hit $1 million!”

“Our moniker is that it’s the best darn weekend of your life,” Laura said. “In other races you get a whole notebook of rules. You must stop, you must eat, there is no skipping, so it’s a barrier to fun. I’m not a rule follower. We are celebrating life. About 250 or 275 of our participants are survivors who are not living life on the sidelines. It’s more than walking, which is secondary to friendship, camaraderie, and celebrating life—it’s life changing.”

Nothing can prepare someone for the fun, laughter, tears, love, and bonds that are created in a few short days. Laura said 1500 people participated this year with eight countries represented. “It’s an annual thing, not a one-hit wonder. Many return every year. Every October it’s like a family reunion.”

And why wouldn’t they? It’s not only a walk in a beautiful location. There are five parties in four days. There’s a karaoke and dance party, trivia night, drag queen bingo, an insane golf cart parade, swag bags, and tons of pink. “It’s uplifting, you build connections, and you find support. People stay and stand at the finish line with a glass of wine. That’s where friendship happens,” Laura said. “You go home with 1,500 new friends.”

Pledge the Pink has an active private Facebook page. It’s a safe place and part of the therapy. One woman posted she had just returned from the walk and found a lump in her breast. She asked what she should do. “The support she got restored my faith in humanity, and I realized that within our little bubble, all is well,” Laura smiled.

“Whether it’s a sponsor, a donor, a participant, whatever the title…they come back and show up. We’re blessed because they hear and see and want to be a part of it.” For example, a local woman without health care benefits needed a biopsy to confirm she had cancer. She told her husband and children she had breast cancer and waited six months to get into a clinic. Pledge the Pink interceded and got her the help she needed,” Laura explained. “She had been misdiagnosed and actually had no cancer. Because of Pledge the Pink, her life changed. She’d suffered so much stress. Now she’s a Pledge the Pink addict and can’t do enough for us.”

“Our foundation helps to get the mammogram, get the biopsy, get the transportation, provide for the caregiver and uses common sense to fill in the void in services.”

To think all this started with Laura Morgan’s drive to get people moving and ended up changing lives, making a huge difference, and raising $1 Million in a weekend. You better believe it’s the best darn weekend of your life…just ask the hundreds of pink flamingos that stood in support.

 

Up Close:

Get Ready for 2026: The 2026 Pledge the Pink Walk will take place October 15-18 in Oak Island, NC. To learn more visit pledgethepink.com.

Pledge the Pink Foundation is a nonprofit public charity dedicated to funding breast cancer screening, treatment, outreach, and research. They provide funding for free mammograms, medical assistance and outreach services to people who need it most and often lost in a system of endless paperwork. They fill the gap and eliminate the red tape and bureaucracy. Since 2012, PTPF has distributed over $3 million dollars to organizations across the country. For more information visit pledgethepinkfoundation.org.