A hoop and a cause

I have been completely in awe this week by the people who have came into my life. Some people think it is God's hand at work; some think that it is the cosmic energy of the universe; some feel that when this happens it is kharma. Whatever you believe, it is happening in my life and it is so crystal clear that I am being surrounded by people to help me make the Little Pink Houses of Hope dream come to life. You anticipate that your family and friends will support you, but it is when complete strangers jump in full force that you feel the true power at work.

My son has been at the Chris Duhon basketball camp this week and CJ, the director, and I have connected each day. He tells the story of how he met the NBA player Chris Duhon. He was working as a skycap at the airport when Chris was late for a flight in college. He asked for his help to make his flight and CJ ran him through security in a wheelchair to make his flight. At the time, he did not know who he was, just that he needed help. Long story short, Chris came back the next week with tickets for CJ to the Duke-Carolina game and a friendship for life was born. CJ now trains Chris and runs an entire set of basketball camps around the country.

CJ has been amazing all week working with Jake and bringing our family into his life.   What a gift that is because his heart is huge and his personality is infectious.  His wife is a cancer survivor and he has offered to conduct a fundraising benefit for Little Pink Houses of Hope this year that will include some of the Globetrotters (some of which are counselors at Jake's camp) and other basketball players. He said it best, "People come into our lives to help in the critical moments that matter". I believe this to be very true!

This is just the most current example. I have had so many people that I have had the priveledge to meet or get to know better because of this journey. I am so lucky to be going down this path each day. And I am so happy that you are a part of the journey.

What are your gifts?

I have always been inspired and perplexed by asking the question to myself and to others- "what are your gifts?" and "are you using them?" 

I have been knee deep in planning for Little Pink Houses of Hope and my level of excitement increases everyday just thinking about this thought coming to real life and impacting the lives of others. Various people have said to me, just tell me what I can do to help with Little Pink Houses of Hope.  Of course, the logical things come to mind- we need houses donated, we need meals donated, we will need volunteers, we need money.  But the bigger question for me whenever I have that conversation is "what is your gift?" and "how can you use it to help Little Pink Houses?"  One of the things that I am very passionate about is creating a culture of giving for Little Pink Houses of Hope that is inclusive and driven by the good that we all want to see happen with this project.  Two events this past week made it clear to me that this culture is possible if we all are able to tap into our gifts. 

The first event started with a pedicure (a little treat for myself!).  After talking to my nail technician about Little Pink Houses, she made the statement..." if there is anything that I can ever do, just let me know".  My response was- "What gifts do you have and how do you think you could use them for Little Pink Houses"?  She immediately came up with ideas of how she could help.  How she could provide services, how she could fundraise, and how she could use her gifts.  She now owns these ideas, she will be driven to do something, and she will know that she is using her gifts to make a difference.  Isn't that what we all want- to be a part of something bigger than ourselves; to leave our mark?  That is the type of culture of giving that I want to create. 

The second event started as a facebook post by a friend who was hot in a barber chair.  What started out as typical banter about getting a haircut turned into an idea about using his connections (that is right, I am calling you out Todd!) to raise funds for Little Pink Houses with an extreme haircut fundraiser.   This would never have been the first thing that came to my mind to answer the question, "how can I help?"  and in his case, he never actually asked; the idea grew organically through the joys of social networking pressure:)

Imagine if everyone in our group was able to hone in and create a tangible way to help just by using their gifts.  For example, I know that each person in our group might not have $100, but may be able to use their gifts to raise $100.  As of today, we have 265 members.  That would be a total of $26,500 just for answering the question "what are my gifts?"!   Or it might be that your gifts are not in the fundraising realm, but maybe you are a part of a civic organization that does volunteer work.  Imagine if everyone of us find a way to get 10 service hours from others- that would be a total of 2650 volunteering hours!!!  Everyone's gifts are different, but what is important is not to sit on the sidelines.  Jump in and use your gifts!

Do you see where I am going? The question that I want to pose to you is simple- "What are your gifts?" and "How can you use them to help Little Pink Houses of Hope?"  Sometimes asking others this question about yourself is a great way to get in touch with your gifts.  Don't put it off- get started today.  Use your gifts!

OUTWIT~ OUTPLAY~ OUTLAST

The reality show has developed the ultimate slogan from which we can all learn a lesson, including Little Pink Houses of Hope.    First, OUTWIT.  The retreat week will be designed to help create an environment that outsmarts all the typical traps of family living.  Take away the chores, the cooking, the cleaning, the doctors, the treatments, and the daily routine and what do you get?  A week filled with a chance to create lasting memories focused on thriving, not just surviving.  Secondly, OUTPLAY.  Little Pink Houses of Hope is excited to think about all of the fun aspects of the week.  A friend of mine recently pointed out how easily laughter is to create and how lovingly it can release stress.  In her case, all it took was a good shaving cream fight!  A reminder that Little Pink Houses does not need to have tons of programs; rather that it just needs to create an environment where families can PLAYOUT.  And finally, OUTLAST.  Now this is the key to winning the reality game survivor and is the key to living as a survivor.  Outlasting is about finding ways to create strategies and structures for coping.  Little Pink Houses will meet all patients where they are in their journey and help support them as they learn how to celebrate life as a family. 

There are no winners or losers in the journey of cancer.  We are all in this together and Little Pink Houses of Hope is excited that we will be there supporting survivors in their journey. 

Check!

Don't Stop Believin' may have been one of Journey's most famous songs and Gleeks all across the country now are aware of that, but it has also been the motto for the week.  It has been an amazing week of feeling like Little Pink Houses of Hope has the momentum rolling!   It started on Monday when I met with a fellow survivor who helped me create more of a strategic plan for LPHOH.  Check!  The week got better when I learned that my mammogram results showed "no evidence of cancer".  Check!  Then I met with my surgeon, who is an amazing woman who said that I was doing great physically and wanted to be a part of Little Pink Houses of Hope.  Check!  Confirmed my first member of my Board of Directors.  Check!  Doors to donors started opening up.  Check!  Had a riveting conversation about fundraising and financial structures with my LPHOH mentor from Lighthouse Family Retreat who always makes me feel like I can do anything.  Check!  Put together important LPHOH documents.  Check! 

You will notice that it has been quite a week.  I fully believe that by putting my intention out into this world that wonderful things will happen and this past week has been proof of that.  And I have lots of people wondering how you can help.  So this week, my post is about putting together a checklist to help you better understand the mission of LPHOH:

• Read the Little Pink Houses of Hope information sheet.  Ask questions if you have any- I am happy to talk about the big vision and the mission.   But I also know that this group is capable of amazing things because of our common belief in wanting to help others, and I need your help.  The best PR will be from the people who understand the mission of LPHOH and can discuss it with others. 

Click on the Image to Enlarge it

• Identify a part of the mission, structure, and/or need that you can personally relate to and can use in conversations with others.
• Think about people that you can forward the information sheet to, like friends and family.  Spread the word!

Imagine if each person in our group plays an active role in LPHOH- Amazing!  What role do you want to play?  

Little Pink Houses Beach Trip

Follow the link to see my video!!!
Video footage from Buxton, NC

This week has had its ups and downs.  First- the US Coast Guard contacted us late on Thursday to let us know that the compound in Buxton that started it all was going to be put back into Congressional subcommittee which made it illegal for anyone to view the property on an official tour.  So our June 15th date was cancelled.  But coming back to Buxton this week with my family only got me more excited about all of the possibilities.  Whether it is this area or some other area, I know that amazing things will be happening with Little Pink Houses of Hope.  To have more insight into the properties, I used my Flip video camera to shoot some video of the complex in Buxton.  It was even more amazing than I remembered!  A few details: 

• the complex contains 23 different houses
• it includes a playground and a community center
• it is located directly across from the beach
• it needs to be painted shades of pink!!!

I still think that this is one of the most restorative places in the world. 

Follow the link to see my video!!!
Video of Little Pink Houses Buxton Trip 

All business this week...

I have always been a dreamer and when I dream, I usually dream pretty big.  Little Pink Houses is a great example of that! 

Knowing that I want to provide week long beach retreats for breast cancer families has been the easy part.  This week, I have started to really focus on the business side of what I need to do to make my dream a reality.   Two things were of primary importance to me this week  1) find an organization that was doing something similar and set up that connection, and 2) discuss the financial aspects of the project with someone who lives and breathes finances for their business.  I managed to do both and had a wonderful week!

First, I connected with the Lighthouse Family Retreat Center http://www.lighthousefamilyretreat.org/ .  What a wonderful organization!  They provide weekly beach retreats for children who have cancer and their families.  I was highly impressed not only with their organization and mission, but also with their model.  This prompted me to contact their President, who graciously agreed to talk to me and offer some very practical advice.  Since this whole project is rooted in giving to others, I felt very lucky to be led to a person who was truly interested in giving of himself as we spoke.  Too much to cover with the actual conversation, but the big three things that I need to make sure that I keep in mind:

1)  When focusing on the family, do not overprogram their time so that they are capable of reconnecting.

2)  Get the right peple to help me make my passion come to life.

3)  Fun is the answer!

If you know of someone who has a child with cancer, take a look at their website and pass it on to the family!

I then met with one of the smartest men that I know- my dad.  My dad has a history of running the major operations of a Fortune 500 company both here and abroad.  I took him out to dinner to pick his brain on the financial side of this venture.  I have to admit that this is an area where I am the least comfortable.  It is amazing how clearly he can see through the passion and the ideas and get right to the core of what needs to be done in terms of financial planning.  Again, too much to cover, but here are the big three things that I walked away with from our talk:

1)  Create a financial model based on the total outlay for the cost expenditures for a week for a typical family at the retreat.

2)  Create a network of people for my board that have specific areas of expertise.
3)  Prioritize what needs to be done first.
And of course, finally, he loves me!

I know that I have a long way to go before the first family arrives at Little Pink Houses of Hope, but this week has made me more determined than ever of the reality to help make a difference in the lives of others. 

Pepsi Power!

The Pepsi Refresh Project is such a cool idea!  You might have seen the SuperBowl commercials that promoted the idea that rather than spending ad spot money, they were going to give away money each month instead.  The give away a whopping 1.3 million a month!!!!  And yes, I plan on strategically getting Little Pink Houses of Hope ready for our chance to receive funding.  I have already started the application for the Pepsi Refresh Project, but will not be able to be part of the voting until all of the legal docs for Little Pink Houses of Hope are completed.  I plan on being able to submit all docs by the beginning of August and being a part of the voting in September for a 250K project.

Think of this project like the American Idol of Funding.  The project with the most votes wins-period.
So here is how I need your help:

1. Log onto the Pepsi site so that you are familiar with how things work:  http://www.refresheverything.com/index
2. Get your username and login and start voting for various projects that interest you.  This will give you a good feel for how voters communicate with each other before our voting window ever opens. (Look for the Welcome/ Sign in link in the bottom left corner)
3. You get 10 votes per day, but only one can be used for each project.  So when our time comes, it will be important to have lots of people already engaged in the process. 
4. Spread the word about the website to your friends.
5. Start thinking about how else you can spread the word about Little Pink Houses of Hope to increase the number of people who will be voting for us.  Examples that people have already shared:
• I have a principal who is planning on including a curriculum unit on philanthropy and using the site as an example for the students
•  my brother is working on a video to post to youtube
•  my son plans on asking his teacher to post to her class website
•  my mom talked about posting something in her bulletin in church
• a friend plans on adding it to the signature of her email
6. Post your idea of how you can share in the comments section of either the blog or the facebook page- your idea might be just the idea that someone else is looking for and capable of doing. 

Great job getting the word out!   We doubled in size from this time last week.  If you have not already shared our mission with your friends, now is the time!

The official Little Pink Houses of Hope website will be up and running soon- stay tuned!

My science lesson for the day

I watched this video today regarding the scientific process of angiogenisis- don't stop reading just because it is a big word:) This guy does a great job really explaining how we feed cancers by what we eat and how to starve them by eating differently.

One of the areas of healing that I want to model at Little Pink Houses of Hope is healthy living and nutritional balance. I have learned a great deal about nutrition during the last year and have started switching to a more organic lifestyle and increasing the number of plant based foods in my everyday eating. But it is not easy- I am still a sucker for a good bag of M&Ms.

Check out the video! I would love to hear your thoughts.
http://www.ted.com/talks/william_li.html

Put on my shoes and run towards my dream...

On June 15th, 2009 I was officially diagnosed with cancer. We were supposed to be leaving the next day for a family vacation to the beach and I asked my doctor, "can I still go?". He answered with an emphatic YES! Then proceeded with the killer caveat- "you better go and enjoy yourself because when you get back you are ours for the the next year."

With that statement, I packed my bags and headed to the beach with my husband and son. We have been vacationing in Buxton, North Carolina for the past 15 years, but this trip was going to take on new meaning for our family in more ways than we could ever imagine.

We arrived at the house and I put on my running shoes to try to clear my head. That night, we were going to tell my son I had cancer and I was dreading even thinking about the experience. So what better way to handle it than to put on my shoes and run away. Little did I know that I was running towards something.

I ran down the Old Lighthouse Road and when I got to the end of it I was incredibly perplexed. Here was a big compound of houses with a chain link fence around it and no one in sight. I ran around the fence trying to find some marking to help me better understand what it was. I finally came across a sign that indicated that it was owned by the US Coast Guard. It looked like a ghost town. Completely abandoned with no one in sight. Tons of houses, a playground in the middle- it looked so lonely. And keep in mind this is all oceanfront property access.

I turned around and started my run back to our beach house. The thought that these houses were supposed to be mine kept running through my head.... I could paint them pink...Little Pink Houses...I could create a cancer retreat center... families could come to get away from the daily life of cancer...I am supposed to do something amazing with this...you just found out you have cancer...what are you thinking?

As I ran back, I stopped at the realtor office to get the 411 on the property. The properties were owned by the Coast Guard, but they had abandoned them 5 years earlier. Dare County was trying to get the properties to use for affordable housing for firemen, teachers, etc. There are 23 houses in the compound that are in pretty decent shape.

What a great distraction for me. Here I am staring down the barrel of telling my 12 year old I have cancer a mere 24 hours after I have found out, and I have already starting making plans to change the world with this compound of houses. I laughed at myself (repeatedly). Talk about getting cancer and thinking that you are going to change things right from the very beginning. I was laughing even thinking about it and realized I better focus the rest of my run on how to tell my son that our world is about to change.

All week long, these houses kept calling to me, in a way that I cannot explain. Sometimes you do not know what you are supposed to do until you trip across your destiny. In my case, I feel like I ran right into it on a warm summer day in my running shoes.

For the past year, Dare County has been in negotiations with the government for the properties. As of 2 months ago, they officially dropped out, leaving the properties in limbo again. I have contacted the Coast Guard and they have scheduled a tour for us of the properties on June 15th of this year- exactly one year from the date of my diagnosis. I have been dreaming about this compound for the past year- thinking about the difference that it could make for breast cancer families.

Whether it is the purchase of this compound or some other property, I am certain that Little Pink Houses of Hope will become a reality.

Please feel free to follow this blog and join our facebook group for Little Pink Houses http://www.facebook.com/?sk=2361831622#!/group.php?gid=127453510602795 .  You can also find me on twitter @jpclilpinky