It’s time to play dress up for a good cause.

At least 27 men are volunteering to toss their pride aside, dress as women and take to the runway at the Oak Park Mall Saturday to raise money and awareness for heart disease and cancer.

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans will host the second Red, White and Pink event from around 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. with funds going to the American Heart Association and the Lyle Area Cancer Auction.

Nominations cost $10 for men to don red, white and pink women’s clothing and take to the runway to songs like “Dude Looks Like a Lady” and “Man! I feel Like a Woman!”

“We’ve got a few songs picked out to get the guys up there grooving,” said Thrivent’s Kathy Wichmann.

The event is growing in its second year. It will be held in the mall’s center court, and six speakers are already lined up, along with the 27 men already volunteered to take to the stage — up from about 19 total last year.

“We’re looking forward to a huge event,” Wichmann said.

After the runway, the men will walk around the mall and area businesses — still in women’s clothing — in search of donations.

“They’re working hard, and they get to be embarrassed for several hours,” Wichmann said.

Thrivent came up with the idea for Red, White and Pink last year after a call to host an event on women’s heart health, but Wichmann said leaders wanted to include everyone.

“We (had) to come up with a unique way of saying ‘This isn’t just for women,’” she said.

The festivities also add a unique and entertaining twist to a health fair, as many local health businesses and organizations will have booths with information available to the public.

The event was successful in its first year, according to Wichmann. It raised about $4,000 for the Lyle Area Cancer Auction and about $300 for to the heart association, along with additional matching donations from Thrivent Financial.

The men can select which group receives the money they raise.

Embarrassment doesn’t seem to be a factor, as Wichmann said the men really enjoyed giving to a good cause last year and many asked if the event was planned again for this year.

Wichmann urged the public to come to the mall for a first-hand look at the unique event.

“They got to come out and see it to believe it,” she said.