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PoCo women get naked for a cause

It took courage and guts, and now the naked Birds of McAllister are pin-up girls for 2012.

It took courage and guts, and now the naked Birds of McAllister are pin-up girls for 2012.

A calendar called the Birds of McAllister featuring photographs of tastefully posed older women - all clients of the Curves fitness centre on McAllister Avenue in Port Coquitlam - has been published to great reviews.

Kim Blake, the Curves manager who is also featured in the photo for the month of May, said people are happy with the results.

Photographer Lynn Pepin of Classic White Photography donated her services for the fundraising project and spent a great deal of time posing people so they would be comfortable and yet still look beautiful and powerful. The photos show women, mostly naked except for a few props and Blake admitted she was a little uncomfortable doing the photo shoot at first.

"I thought, 'What the heck am I doing?'" she said.

"We are all moms and grandmothers," Blake said of the participants, who range in age from 46 to 73. "We don't want to be embarrassed.

But the women, who got their hair and make-up done for the shoot, eventually relaxed, said Jennifer Deby, who is also in the calendar and added, "We had a lot of fun."

Some of the photos have a health theme to them, with photos of a woman who had heart surgery and another of three women who had breast cancer wound together with a pink ribbon.

"Since we've put it out, it's been pretty positive," said Blake, noting dozens of people were expected to come out for the launch at Samz Pub on Sunday.

The idea came out of a bet with a Port Alberni Curves location to see which outlet could raise the most food in a drive last April. PoCo's curves lost by 107 lb.

"In the end," Blake said, "I think we won."

Proceeds from the $10 calendars go to Tri-City Transitions and to an after-school club for girls six to 12 years. The calendars are available at Curves at 2239D McAllister Ave., Port Coquitlam. Information is available at 604-944-1303.

dstrandberg@tricitynews.com