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NATCHEZ — Dennis and Darby Short love a good challenge.

When that challenge also benefits those who suffer from cancer, they are all in.

Short has participated in the Natchez group of Men Wear Pink, which raises money for the American Cancer Society for research and breast cancer awareness.

“It’s a national thing. It used to be called Real Men Wear Pink, but now it’s Men Wear Pink. Dan Gibson was the original Man in Pink for Natchez. Kevin Deason followed him, and then it was me. Ronnie Calhoun followed me,” Short said.

He is passionate about working to fund cancer research, leading to a cure, and making sure people get mammograms and other diagnostic tests that can catch cancer early. Short is a cancer survivor.

“I had cancer — lymphoma. If you’re going to get cancer, that’s the best kind to get. I still had to do chemotherapy and radiation. I would not wish chemotherapy on anybody,” he said. “We have had girls who have worked for us who have been diagnosed with cancer. Men are diagnosed with breast cancer, too. I have a male friend who had breast cancer. It’s everywhere you look. And not just breast cancer. Lung cancer and other cancers seem to be on the rise.”

Men Wear Pink in Mississippi is divided into three divisions — north, central and southern districts.

“Natchez is in the central district. I think there were 28 teams in our district, mostly from the Jackson area and a few maybe east of Jackson. Then there was us,” he said.

The year Short was the Man in Pink for the competition, the central district’s fundraising goal was $275,000.

“I think last year’s goal was $325,000,” Short said. “It’s a three-month fundraising drive — August, September, and October. It ends on Oct. 31.

“It has become very competitive. In my year, the central district finished those three months in sixth place in the country. At one point during the fundraising, we were number two and number three,” he said.

During Short’s tenure as the Team Natchez Man in Pink, he said his main ingredient for success was his wife, Darby.

“If you give her any kind of competition, she’s going to go after it. Darby is very competitive. She posted on Facebook, went after high school friends and college friends. We raised $58,000 just from Natchez,” he said. “During that time, Natchez got as high as number four in the country. Team Natchez was raising more money than teams in New York and Los Angeles. You do anything you can to raise money.”

While Darby was Short’s cheerleader, Mayor Dan Gibson benefited from having Mary Lessley as his “head cheerleader” the year he led the Men in Pink effort in Natchez.

“Mary is very involved with the Festival of Music, and she arranged five or six concerts on Sunday afternoons at Stanton Hall and Monmouth to raise money,” he said.

Natchez did not name a Man in Pink to lead the effort this year, but Gibson, Short, and Calhoun, at Mary Lessley’s urging, have come together at the last minute to raise what funds they can.

“We dropped the ball this year. Mary, once again with the Festival of Music, put the Pink Panther concert together. Ticket sales benefited the American Cancer Society.”

Anyone who would like to donate may do so at https://www.cancer.org/involved/fundraise/men-wear-pink.html