One-on-one connections

LEWISBURG, PA, - Earlier this year, I took a trip to Boston to speak at a Vera Bradley Premiere event for our retailers. My session was…how shall I say this…sparsely attended. I am never disappointed when I don’t meet large groups of people, however, because I know that if I can touch just one person and encourage them to make a difference, it is worth it. This event was an example of just this type of thing. The Mercantile store in Lewisburg, PA, had two staff members at the Premiere. They were the sole attendees of my session! Wonderfully, they left with an absolute passion to do something for breast cancer. After my talk, they asked me to attend one of their events, but the original date of their event conflicted with another event that I had already scheduled. "No problem," said Laurie (the owner). She asked what day I was available, and then worked the entire event around that. “It is crucial,” she said, “that we have a speaker who is a survivor and has a connection to the Foundation.” She was right, it made quite an impact on the crowd. She partnered with a local hospital, Evangelical Community Hospital, and in one the most charming things I have seen, our servers were breast cancer surgeons. I wanted to share this with you, and, for a change of pace, show you what it looks like to see an audience from behind the microphone!!!





And I just simply couldn't resist. Saw a tractor and had to take another pic. The Foundation loves tractors!