For three years, Frogs for the Cure has used flamingos and the element of surprise to raise money to fight breast cancer.

Flamingo flocking originally began as a way for the Athletic Student Training Association to raise money for themselves, but has become a way to raise money for a good cause, President of the Athletic Student Training Association Louis Duran said.

Volunteers come at night to put the flamingos in place. People then wake up to a yard filled with pink flamingos. 

“They just love it,” Duran said. “We’ve never had a bad reaction from people. They just think it’s the funniest thing in the world.” 

Volunteers like Chris Smith also said he enjoyed the experience.

“Showing up at peoples’ houses late at night when they don’t know it is kind of fun,” he said. “It’s kind of borderline trespassing, and you know you’re looking like thieves in the night, but in the end it’s all for a good cause.” 

For Duran, this cause has a special meaning. His mother and grandmother are both breast cancer survivors.

“The Frogs for the Cure campaign was huge to me since freshman year before I was ever involved in flocking or involved anywhere,” Duran  said.

Flamingo flocking has spread throughout Fort Worth, even to the mayor’s house, he said.

What began as an internal affair has gained the support of people across campus. The success of flamingo flocking came as a pleasant surprise for Duran, he said.

“We never thought it would be like this, so it’s very inspiring to see that such a small project with a small group of students has blown up to encompass the whole university,” Duran said.

Flamingo flocking will continue to take place through the month of October.

To find out how to select a house to be flocked, go to the Frogs for the Cure website.