Canning

I learned a new term on Saturday (July 17th): "canning." When I first heard our team would be fundraising by "canning" I thought we'd be adding fish to metal cans. But, as I have learned (on several occasions), Georgia is a LONG way away from California, especially when it comes to canning! The Georgian definition of canning is: begging people for money in front of a store with cans, usually tin. So, that's what our fundraiser was: begging people for money in front of "disco" Kroger's!

Upon figuring out that we would be begging for money, I couldn't imagine making any money. I know that people that beg for money on the street sometimes make more than I do in a year, but in my mind I couldn't translate the homeless guy on the freeway off ramp into a group of women dressed as pink pirates in front of a grocery store.

I mean, how much money could we really make here?

Answer: over $700 in 5 hours!

But this fundraiser wasn't just about asking people for money. It was about being visible to the neighborhood, because being visible shows survivors there are people out there fighting a good fight for them, and it shows former walkers that their cause lives on. It was about being audible to the parking lot so that we can share statistics of the disease (1 in 8 women will be diagnosed) to people who aren't necessarily shopping in our store but elsewhere within the shopping center. It was about  handing out flyers to people interested, but not willing - giving them a souvenir to take home to read in order to understand the enormity of what we are doing. It was about learning how much we mean to people who have been through it, and how much we are admired by people who have walked it.

It was about having fun, because life wouldn't be fun without a couple of laughs!

We harrassed the money truck......

We rode carts through the parking lot......

We danced..........

We held signs.........

AND We screamed "We have boobies, yes we do, we want to keep them, how about you?" back and forth, across the lot as well as across the store. We gained a lot of attention, pillaged a bunch of cash, and went home exhausted but fulfilled. Hearing the stories of survivors, relatives who have lost, and former walkers, I am now so much more committed to this cause! I even walked 5 miles by myself on Sunday - without any prompting by teammates or my husband. (And I did it before 9:30 AM!!) So, I guess it was about motivating ourselves as well. I can't wait for the next one!!!

Thanks for reading! ~ Deanna