Meet KISS

Today is a special day. 3-Day friends and ohanas (family) from around the country are preparing to descend upon the Boston area to kick off the 2012 Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure season. This year, I have managed to bring together some friends and ohana to join me in the first event of the year. This is also a special year. Earlier this year I was saddened to learn that my good friend was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time. She was supposed to make the trek to Boston. Instead, she was scheduled for surgery and is currently convalescing at home. You can read her story here at Rainbows and Butterflies.

In her absence, we needed to find someone to her place. I elicited the help of another good friend who works in HR (Human Resources) at Qualcomm. Together, we put our heads to work and searched for a worthy candidate. This was not an easy task. The replacement had to have the qualities of our friend; warm, friendly, great smile, and hard working.

After a nationwide, online search, we found our candidate. This representative fit the bill well. It gives me great pleasure to introduce the newest member to the 3-Day crew and specifically the Event Support team for Boston, please welcome KISS!!!!!!

KISS comes from a long line of caring and warm Build-A-Bears. Her experience consists of giving lots of love, bringing joy to a room, and brightening even the best of days. KISS gets her namesake from our dear friend...

Kristin "I Survived" Szabo!

You can follow KISS throughtout her Boston journey at the 2012 Event Support facebook page.

Baking to appeal to Fashionistas

So the next chapter in the baking story comes from an idea that my sister had based on my comment about how many folks at work seem to have fashion sense. Thus came about the high heel cupcake idea.

Having done the bake goods, I thought I had a good audience. However, cupcakes are sweeter and it came with a price tag of $5 vs. free and optional donation. While I don't think the cupcakes were as succesful, I still raised about $50 from 9 cupcakes. Yes that means some donated more than the $5. Interestingly enough, I have received comments about how much of a conversation piece they were and even got an email request for a future event. All in all, it was a lot of work. Maybe next time I'll have my sister do the mini-cupcakes.

Bake Sale Makes Dough (part deux)

I'm truly amazed at the generosity of people. Yesterday I blogged that after a day of effortless fundraising (all I did was set it out), I raised $29. What I didn't know was that after I left work, other folks came looking for the goodies and even though they didn't find any, they found my dedication box and put in another $25!!! Then this morning my colleague walked over and dropped in an undisclosed amount and made a dedication, stating, "no cookie needed." I'm definitely need to make more cookies!

Bake Sale Makes Dough!

So I tried something new in terms of fundraising. July 4th was spent with family and my sister and oldest daughter helped bake and decorate a dedication box.

I brought both items and set up a small sign to tell my story of why I fight. I figured it was worth trying out on a smaller audience given that today was the day after a major holiday and many folks would be out. I was amazed at the results. In just a short day, many of the baked goods were gone, I had dedications on the box, and inside was a whopping $29! I can only imagine what might happen if I made more and put it out on a day where everyone was in the office. Plus, I can possibly attempt this on 4 other floors!

If you think fundraising is hard, just put in a little effort. You might be surprised at the results!

Note to self, chocolate chip cookies and brownies = good. Peanut butter cookies = not so good.

Breast Cancer is tough, but we're tougher!

A few weeks ago, I found myself doing something I haven't done in a while...cry. As I reflected on this for the next few days, I pondered what kind of cry was it?

First, why was I crying? Well, I had just learned that my good friend was diagnosed with breast cancer for the 2nd time. As we talked on the phone, I found myself choked up from the shock that breast cancer had hit close, again.

Her story is reflected in her blog here...
http://kristinsgoodlife.blogspot.com/

So what kind of cry was it? Well...

It started as a cry of helplessness, the feeling that there was little I could do to help my friend.

Then in morphed into a cry of remembrance, reflecting on the days when my own mother battled breast cancer and remembering friends and their pain as they lost loved ones.

Quickly, it turned into a cry of anger. Why is breast cancer still here? Where is the sense of fairness that it strikes where the light shines brightest?

Finally, my cry settled...not that it stopped, but it became a LOUD and ECHOING battle cry!

And so I will continue to cry and more importantly, I will continue to cry out, Breast Cancer, your days are numbered and you will not prevail.

And to Kristin, my dear friend, my battle cries this year will be dedicated to you!