Momma always said....

If you have ever had the chance to meet my mom, you know that she was dropped into a family of very competitive athletic kids who loved to win.  She could have cared less about whether we won or not.  She was the person routing on the sidelines who never really understood the rules, yelled "good goal" when it was really a basket, and ALWAYS told us that it was how we played the game that was more important than winning.  She would usually pirouette out of the kitchen after such a statement.  She is a joyful woman indeed!

Well, the PEPSI refresh project is over and I am so happy with HOW we played the game.  I am able to track various aspects of the contest and we have had people from all over the country and the world voting for us.  We have had thousands of people on any given day casting a vote of support for the dream of Little Pink Houses of Hope!  People telling their friends and complete strangers getting involved in the organization.  Although we did not finish in the top 10, we came very close on numerous occassions (as high as 17th one day).  We have had donations coming in from places as far away as Texas! (Thanks to the great group of Bunco ladies for donating their card proceeds).  We have had beach houses donated, fundraisers locally, and most importantly, we have made my mom proud.  Because in the end, the PEPSI project was not about the $50,000 prize, it was about creating a culture where everyone can be a part of something.  It was about spreading the word about the mission and values of LPHOH.  It was about getting to know each other.  It was about starting the foundation for an amazing organization that has grown by leaps and bounds.  It is about celebrating life!  And it was about a lot of voting.  Thanks to everyone who voted religiously over the course of the past 8 weeks.  Your dedication to the cause will never be forgotten.   When you see me, know that I will buy you a PEPSI (or a Coke for the matter). 

And with that, I am going to pirouette out of the kitchen.

A Helping Hand

The Beatles said it best, "You get by with a little help from your friends".  (If you are too young to know who the Beatles are, I forgive you- just make sure that you visit me in the nursing home one day).  Not only have my friends been amazing through my cancer journey, but friends- new and old, are making every day working on Little Pink Houses of Hope more enjoyable.

I want to highlight two people in this blog-not because they are the only two, and not because of what they are doing, but because they represent the journey of Little Pink Houses of Hope.

I have a beautiful, talented, compassionate, and dear friend, Melissa who from the very beginning has been by my side with Little Pink Houses of Hope.  She has taken on amazing responsibilities as my partner, board member, and go-to girl.  Why highlight her?  (besides any brownie points that I may score)...Well, she is a great example of how the spirit, mission, and values of my dream of Little Pink Houses of Hope can move people to action and commitment.  Over the next few months, Little Pink Houses will need more people to heed that call and take action.    Little Pink Houses is lucky to have her as an integral person who is helping to make my dream a reality. 

So, as you know, LPHOH started as an idea and a facebook group.  We have grown exponentially and have followers as far away as Australia, India, and Nigeria!  We have recently realized the need to fully utilize the social media marketing platforms that are out there.  I put together a description for a volunteer and sent it to the Elon Service Center.  And voila!  Liz!  A young, energetic 19 year old who is studying digital media and has a wealth of information that she is willing to share as a volunteer.  Why highlight her?  She is a great example of a person who realized her niche- her passion for online marketing and communication and reached out to help complete strangers.  I am truly enjoying getting to know her and am positive that she will be a wonderful assett to our team.  But the important thing is- she was a stranger a couple of weeks ago and now she is part of the LPHOH team- all because she was in tune with her gifts. 

As always, we need your help.  We are currently looking for people who are interested in volunteering and becoming part of our team.  Here are just a few examples of skills and people that we are looking for:

1. Assistant Volunteer Coordinator- we need someone to help us take the goodness of the people that want to volunteer and channel that energy into specific tasks.  If you are organized and like meeting and talking to new people- this is right up your alley.
2. Pink Games Organizer- we need people who like organizing events, sports, and helping to create a buzz!  This person would be responsible for helping to design and implement Pink Game fundraisers for college and high school sports (basketball for the winter season).  If you are a go-getter that wants to help bring our cause to organized school groups, I have a Pink t-shirt with your name on it!
3. Development- we are looking for a few people to take on creating some imaginative fundraising ideas.  All different types of skills are needed for this task- so there is a place for lots of different personalities. If you can dream big, come on!
4. Application Administrator- we are getting ready in December to start taking applications for retreat attendees and then soon after, volunteers.  If you are a person who understands the administrative side of a big project like this, you are just who we are looking for!
5. Retreat Week Assistant- for every week that we conduct a retreat, there are 8 houses, 10 volunteers, 21 meals, rentals that need to be made, property securing that has to happen- you name it and we have to do it.  If you are interested in being the point person for one of the 7 weeks, we would love to talk to you!  Be a part of the planning!

And then of course, 25 other things as well.  The bottom line is this- if you have a desire to help, I am asking for your help and can use your talents!  Don't delay, lend a helping had today!

An AMAZING month!

Have you ever seen the movie "The Fast and the Furious"?  Laced with action, speed, drama, intrigue, and something new around every corner, the title of that movie sums up the month of September for Little Pink Houses of Hope.  Are you ready?  Take a deep breath and get ready for a thrill ride of action and drama over the past thirty days:

•  Voting began on September 1st!  If you voted, you know how exciting it was everyday to see how we were doing in the standings and to see us do so well during our first month.  We were like David fighting the Goliath projects who have been doing this for months.
• Our facebook group grew from 348 people on September 1 to 728 people on September 30th! 
• We found ourselves on the big screen at St. Mark's, WFMY News 2, ABC 11, and Fox8!
• We had great opportunities for people to read about LPHOH in The Coastal Journal, Womenhealth.gov and be heard on the radio on G105!
• These media segments allowed for the message, mission, and service of Little Pink Houses of Hope to reach thousands of people.
• We have had 4 individuals interested in donating their beach houses after seeing the interview segments!
• I had a teacher who won a Educator of the Year award donate his check to Little Pink Houses, showing the joy of Paying It Forward.
• My alma mater, Saint Louis University, heard about LPHOH and is doing a Pink Field Hockey game on Oct 15th versus the Richmond Spiders.  They are donating their proceeds to LPHOH.  Go Billikens!!!
• In finding businesses to help advertise for the Pepsi Project, we have created wonderful connections that will last a long time. 
• We were honored to receive memorium donations on behalf of two special individuals who passed away.
• We were contacted by numerous survivors about attending a retreat or to share their story.  The stories and hope keep me more focused than ever on LPHOH.
• We are working with Elon and NCstate volunteers
• The president of  a fabric company offered to donate the fabric when we secure permanent housing one day.
• Many high school and middle school students are participating to actively change the world
• We have Paypal available on the website now to take online donation
• Finishing 58th qualifies us to roll over for voting for next month.  Keep up the voting and spread the word.
• I have had a chance to meet wonderful people at survivor meetings
• Certain local businesses have decided to do fundraising events during October to help raise funds for LPHOH.  The first one will be held on Saturday, October 9th at West End Studio in Burlington 7-9 pm!

Whew!  I warned you to take a deep breath.  The Pepsi Project has given us the opportunity to continue to create a culture where people can actively participant to help make a difference.  It has been easy to ask people for something simple, like their vote, and look at all of the amazing things that have happened.  I feel so lucky to have the support of our group and to know that you are each working on behalf of LPHOH.  I can only imagine what October will bring.

PS.  Did I mention that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month?  Make sure to do a self breast exam!

Who would have thought....

Who would have thought that I would end up in this place?  Not me.  I was hit today by thoughts of my birthday party one year ago this weekend.  I was so happy to be turning 40- and I really do mean that.  Happy that I had made it.   And now I look back and reflect on everything that has transpired over the past year and how is it that I have done more during this past year with cancer than I did in any of my other years?  Or is it just that I am doing my life a different way- with purpose and treasuring all of the steps along the way...

The celebration of my birthday this year was a strange day.  I learned at 6:30 AM that they were testing my father in Florida for kidney cancer.    Luckily, by the end of the day we found out that he did not have cancer.  I had a really difficult time processing this information. It wasn't that I was worried about his mortality, but that he had to deal with those internal moments of not knowing and letting your mind wander to some crazy places.  It wasn't that I did not understand how to navigate the cancer universe to get the best care, rather that it would be out of my control.  It became crystal clear to me that it cannot be easy being on the other side of the coin when you deal with a loved one with cancer.  I literally said aloud to my husband, Terry, "How do people get through loving someone with cancer?"  Anyone who knows Terry can probably imagine the look on his face that screamed "duh!?!"  Of course he knows- that has been his life and the life of many people in my life over the past year.  Wow!  I realized this week what it must be like and how much I appreciate all of you that have stayed in my life during such a hard time. Let me just try to express my thanks to each of you through a poem I wrote. 

I never knew

How hard it was when you were blue

I never guessed

that you were trying your best

not to let the hurt show

as you watched during the high and the low

I never saw

your quiet moments of anguish and awe

I didn't feel

the worry with which you had to deal.

you cared for me

and knew when to let me be

I will always try

to cherish you for the days that went by

I will love you more

because you touched me at the core

by your caring ways

during my darkest days

I will be there for you

For all of your days you wander through

I will try to feel your pain

to ease the burden of the rain

for in my heart I know that your heart is always near

because you have been a friend to me- that is clear

It became abundantly clear how important the work of Little Pink Houses of Hope is because we will be addressing what the whole family is going through.  We will be helping each person who struggles with dealing with this on a daily basis by reconnecting families and trying to remove some of the daily burdens, financial struggles, and create an environment where they can celebrate being together.  Thank you for your support of Little Pink and of me.  Love ya!

Little Pink Fever!

So if you do not already have it, Little Pink Fever is running rampant!  Check out how people are spreading the excitement about Little Pink Houses:

Eastern Eagles defeated Cummings and both groups of supporters helped in the "Show Me Your Text" campaign at the stadium.  I was totally inspired by all of the high school students that were texting.  When they were approached, it amazed me how quickly almost all of them connected by saying something about a family member who had cancer.  Our youth is growing up in a world where cancer is turning into their normal.  There is a sadness in that statement, but a hope in the way in which they rally behind wanting to do good in the world.  We had over 350 text votes in a matter of an hour and a half!  Great job fans!  If you are interested in hosting a "Show Me Your Text" campaign at your school football game or event, it is easy.  All we needed was a sign with the text code, a roll of raffle tickets, and a fishbowl.  Someone had donated a Wal-Mart gift card for the raffle.  Free text, free ticket, and a chance to win something.  Who would say no to that?  Give it a try!

The Brown family went to the beach and took Little Pink Houses on the road with a Free Pink Lemonade stand to try to get votes! 

I probably do not even need to write anything else...just look at these wonderful ambassadors for LPHOH.  I know that I would not have been able to say No to either one of those adorable faces. I would imagine a lot of votes came from Garden City, South Carolina. Thanks to the Browns!

The Hurst family decided to use the two most adorable kids to help promote LPHOH.  I have long called my friend Melissa one of the best wordsmiths that I know.  She chooses her words carefully and writes a fabulous blog about being a new mom that is worth checking out and following:  http://mamemusings.blogspot.com/2010/09/little-pink-babies.html  Her kind words about my journey over the past year were very touching.  Again, how could anyone say no tho these adorable faces!  More adorable LPHOH pictures of these two are on her blog.   Check it out!

And Live, from New York, it's Josh Patten!  My youngest brother declared this month "National Write about Your Sister Month".  If you have never met Josh, he is an improv performer and coach in New York City and is incredibly funny and talented.  He took his talent with the pen to lend his support for Little Pink Houses of Hope this month. He is posting his writings on Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr for all of his adoring fans.  Get ready to laugh when you read his writings at our family's expense! You can find his daily writings at http://www.joshpatten.tumblr.com/  Great job Josh!

To everyone who is being creative with getting the vote or doing it the old-fashioned way- THANK YOU!  Send me an email of what you are doing- I would love to feature it on our blog or site. 

The many blessings...

Voting started yesterday and what a crazy, fun, exhausting week!  There are so many people who have decided to be a part of Little Pink Houses of Hope and I feel incredibly lucky and blessed.  I have been touched this week by the many people that I do not know who have written to me about their experiences, struggles with cancer, and creative energy.  So many people have told me that they are proud of me or inspired by what we are doing.  But really, it is not just me.  It is all of us.  If you read the email from the woman who is dealing with her 4th recurrence of breast cancer, you would be inspired by her courage.  If you heard of the 10 year old boy who is conducting a meeting with his Boy Scout troop to promote LPHOH you would see what the heart of activism looks like.  If you had heard the news anchor talking to me about the other people that they interviewed you would realize the enormity of cancer on the lives of so many people.  If you had read all of the facebook posts from people who have never really been involved in something before, but are finding a voice in their community to help through LPHOH, you would know that good exists in the world.  If you had opened up the email from my brother, who has decided to make it "National Write about your Sister" month, you would understand how easy the past year has been for me because I have been given a family that has rallied behind me.  If you heard the conversation with my preacher about the God that is working vigorously through LPHOH, you would be hard pressed not to have hope.  The truth is, I have been blessed and inspired by all of you. 

Little Pink Houses on TV!

It  is exciting to think about all of the people who are graciously reaching out and embracing the Little Pink Houses of Hope vision through their support of the Pepsi voting campaign.  I received an invitation today to tape a segment for the WFMY News 2 Good Morning Show to discuss the organization and the voting campaign.  The segment will air the week of Sept. 6th!  What a great way to reach a larger audience to help us in our bid for $50K and to garner support for the organization!

The business voting cards also came in and they look great!  Please let me know if you need some as you promote Little Pink Houses of Hope

This week has been vital to getting out the word regarding the Pepsi Project voting campaign.  A quick reminder:

• Send out any information to local print, radio, and media.  These outlets usually take a little time to respond.
• If you plan on putting information in your church bulletin, remember that you usually have to submit this ahead of time.  Check with your church office.
• Any school contacts should be made to give them time to get students to help organize.  A student run campaign will have a better chance of being successful than a top down campaign.

I am thrilled to have so many people on this journey together.  I feel so lucky to be surrounded by so many talented people!  Thanks for all of your hard work in getting the word out!

GO!

Ready!  It is time to really get started with promotion for Little Pink Houses and the Pepsi Project!  A group of volunteers has created TONS of materials for you to use to get the word out about the Pepsi Project.  There are flyers, radio spots, press releases, school announcements, church bulletin announcements, FB posts, letters...you name it and it has been created!  A special thanks to all of the people who used their creative gifts to make all of the materials.

Set!   Look through the online materials link at http://www.littlepinkhousesofhope.org/Pepsi-Refresh.html Think about how you can use the materials and people that you know who might be interested in helping to promote it.  Through our meetings, we have came up with some wonderful ideas:

• targeting college students through their organizations
• using key personnel in school districts/ schools to promote on a daily basis
• creating a pyramid of people who will help through organizations like Avon
• targeting medical center waiting and treatment rooms
• talking with ladies groups/ organizations
• using PTO groups
• getting information on listservs and email groups
• using Facebook and social networking sites
• putting in church bulleting or handing out church flyers
• capitalizing on large groups of people (football stadiums, etc)
• creating a way for students to earn community service hours
• talking to everyone that you can think of!

And of course, many more.  You will undoubtedly think of things that work for you and your community.  Print off whatever tools you need to help make it happen and you are set.  A few words of caution:
Remember that some of the letters/docs need to be adjusted with either a connection or place (specifically the letters).  We will get the texting code on Sept 1st and it will be put in the HS flyer at that time.I have ordered tons of the voting business cards, so please let me know if you need any of them. 

GO!  Voting starts September 1st, so it is important to capitalize on timing.  For example, go ahead and start sending out something to a radio station now, but you will want to wait til Aug 31 to post anything on Facebook.  Or, go ahead and contact schools now to discuss how you can promote it with students and parents, so that you are able to be in full swing on Sept. 1.   But remember, September 1st is right around the corner.

As I have been preparing, I have had unbelievable support from anyone that I speak to in the community.  People are happy to help- especially since it is a vote, rather than someone asking for money.  They want to help but often times they do not know how to help- they just need to be asked.  Take a look at the document "How Can I Help" so that if anyone asks you what else they can do besides voting you will be prepared to answer.

Thank you for all of your love, support, and willingness to jump in and help.  With that said- there are 11 days til voting begins!  Let's get out there and show the world what Little Pink Houses of Hope is made of!

Little Pink Fever

Little Pink Fever hit Mebane on Monday night!  A group of wonderful, caring people got together to brainstorm how to get the word out for the Pepsi Project.  With the great ideas that came about, we are bound to win!  One of the most beautiful parts of the night was the unbridled enthusiasm of the middle school students that attended.  They always have a way of reminding the adults that there are no boundaries.  We are creating press releases, flyers, voting business cards, Facebook announcements, school announcements, etc.  There will be so many avenues by which you will be able to get the word out, no matter where you live.  We are meeting again next week on August 19th to go over the finished materials and to start the process of disseminating it. The meeting will be held virtually, so please let me know if you are interested in attending.

On a separate note, I am writing this from the chemo waiting room.  When I finish my treatment today, I will have 2 treatments left!   Little Pink Houses of Hope is such a huge part of my life now, but this morning I am reflecting on all of the people sitting in the waiting room who are only at the beginning of their journey.   It is a scary place to be and one that makes you a member of a club in which you never asked for an invitation. The past year and 3 months has included an unbelievable range of emotions.  I am thankful to have had so many wonderful people supporting me and helping me maintain a positive outlook.  The world of cancer can be a very depressing place- which only makes me more motivated to bring Little Pink Houses to Life.  A surgeon friend told me right after the diagosis that the hard part is not dying from cancer, but finding a way to live with it.  That is my goal- to help make a difference in the way people view how they can live with cancer.  That is where my motto for Little Pink Houses comes from..."helping families live stronger, laugh harder, and love deeper". 

This was written on Friday, Aug 13th and posted on Sun, Aug 15th.

Tired and happy!

What an exhausting two days!  But it was all worth it tonight when I hit submit for the Pepsi Refresh Project.  I had worked tirelessly on the application, the video, and putting the website together and was thrilled when I saw the screen that said Hooray!

Our application was accepted and official voting starts on September 1st.  Keep your fingers crossed that we get through the review process- just a formality.  We will know by the middle of the month.  For tonight, I just want to revel in HOORAY!  And a special thanks to Jake who dealt with his neurotic mother during the 3 minute submission process!

You can check out the new Little Pink Houses of Hope website at http://www.littlepinkhousesofhope.org/