Skates!

FORT WAYNE, INDIANA -  It’s a little hard to see, this is a still shot of a video (soon to be posted on the Vera Bradley Foundation Facebook) – but it’s worth sharing with you. This is Carolyn, my dear friend that past posts. So she made her annual trek to home office to deliver what she is contributing this year.

Let me tell you something; she inspires awe in me. I know survivors, and a HUGE number of them. I can count on maybe one hand the number of people who are in the fundraiser/survivor category, though.  And of them, I would say maybe 2 or 3 are even in her galaxy. She has taken the disease that touched her and has poured her energy into an annual event that raises money to help others.

She didn’t try to re-invent the wheel, didn’t try to come up with a gimmick or strategy that would have imitated someone else’s idea. She knew what she loved to do – skate. She knew her ample skill set – marketing and nonprofit fundraising. She just sat down and pulled them all together. I’m not saying it’s easy. She works harder and more hours than anyone else I know, but it’s what she knows that makes it so successful. She has friends in one great big family, the world of the ice arena denizens. It’s been 8 years since her first event, and it has grown every year. It did start small, like everyone who does this work. Skate for Hope has now raised more than $300,000 to help fight breast cancer.

But this year – this year, Carolyn gave us a check for $50,000. FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS.  (worth repeating). One woman. With a big heart, a strong passion and a remarkable husband encouraging her every step of the way. I wanted to tell you again about her. I’ve heard the "I’m just one person and I can’t think of anything I can do to help people" thing too much to let them not see her and know about her.

***One more thing, I don’t have a photo of this, but she was wearing the most adorable black faux-snakeskin peep-toe black stiletto pumps. Just in case you thought she couldn’t get any cooler …***

N

COLUMBUS, OHIO - If you saw her walking down the street, you would have NO IDEA that this little peanut could flip upside down and fly all around - all while on skates. You would say to yourself "Oh, what a sweet mommmy/daughter they are. Darling." And you would have no idea about her magic.

Or her mama's magic, and that's the big one. This little Miss N has a pretty remarkable mommy, and it's all tied to little Miss N. See, her mommy was told that she would probably never have children after her bout with breast cancer as a young woman. So N was a gift, a blessing. But what her mommy decided to do was a blessing to all of us.

She used her considerable talent as a skater, networker and most importantly, a fundraiser - to help all breast cancer patients. She funds research. Research that happens in a few hospitals, in a few states and with a few researchers. She is a wonder to behold. A true force of nature, the most passionate fundraiser I have ever been blessed to know. Every year she puts on a remarkable show called Skate for Hope and it is breathtaking. She handles hundreds of big-time Olympic stars, volunteers, teeny tiny skaters, requests, tantrums, tears, flight delays, costume changes and even flowers. She does it all for a good reason, and we all get to reap the benefits.

She does it so her darling little Miss N never has to worry about having the same disease as her mama. I love you, Carolyn, and your passionate heart. Thank you for helping all of us, by helping N.

xoxo

Walking In Her Shoes ... (um, skates)

COLUMBUS, OHIO - For all the right reasons. ALL the right reasons. How many of us can say that we get up every day, leave the ones we love at home and plow through myriad minutia to do something for all the right reasons? Even if your profession is a noble one (oh, say cancer research, oncology nurse, hospice volunteer, kindergarten teacher with endless patience, etc.) how many of you know at the end of the day that everything you have done, no matter how exhausting, everything was for the right reasons?

I’ve found through my travels, both real and virtual, that very often when someone battles cancer, they (or their families) are drawn to do one of two things: write a book or create a foundation in their name. Both, I think, are to help preserve their names in perpetuity and to help others. It is sweet, and will make a lasting impression. My friend Carolyn is a cancer warrior, but has taken a decidedly different version of her life-script. I think you need to know about her.

She was a young woman and brilliant figure skater when she found her breast cancer, and battled it fiercely. After she endured chemo and six surgeries, she decided to make her focus in life a simple one: be a mommy to her precious daughter, a wife to her wonderful husband and raise money for breast cancer. Period. It’s clean, it’s easy to remember and it’s all for the right reasons. Her nonprofit organization is called Skate for Hope, and her commitment is staggering. Go look on her webpage – there are 2 sentences devoted to her struggles. TWO! The rest is focused on getting money to the hands of people trying to take care of this disease. She’s been nominated for awards, has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for this cause, and yet remains one of the most humble and modest friends I have in this world. She is a quiet, gentle soul who is always smiling and calm up front but pedaling like mad in the back to make everything seamless.

She has created an event that allows the people to come see Olympic athletes in a tender and beautiful way, not only poignant but also totally accessible for even the most modest of incomes. These skaters donate their time (!! Come on, how often do you get to see that!) and many dedicate their skate to someone they love who has been touched by cancer. Not only are there stunning athletes, but Carolyn has been gracious enough to allow little skaters from across Ohio to enter the show. These little girls have no idea what a gift this really is – I’m sure to most of them it is a chance to display their talents or meet someone cool they’ve seen on TV. What they are really getting is hope. The hope and prayers of everyone attending that they will stay strong and healthy for the rest of their lives without ever having to worry about cancer.

I pray that all those little ones have no worries in their future beyond a Lutz and an Axel. I pray that as they participate in this show, their parents can look at them and instill just a portion of what Carolyn is trying to teach us all: that we are bigger than any show or any presentation. We are here to help each other, to care for one another, to build each other up. Life is far too short to be worried about anything other than being the nicest person in the room. And that if you are going to do anything in this world, be it a big production or just a little task, that we do it for all the right reasons.

National Treasures

COLUMBUS, OHIO - So while God was handing out the good stuff to each person, I decided to go back for seconds to the ‘dorky history fanatic’line. The kids you see pictured here were a bit more judicious and went to the ‘beautiful talented smart compassionate’ line. They are all of these things, of course, but what I saw shining through this weekend was the ‘compassionate’ part. These are people who deserve to be admired (daily!) by all of us. Not because they can do more things on ice with knives on their boots than you and I can do in orthopedic shoes on dry pavement, no, not just that. Because they each decided to spend a few days dedicating themselves to raising funds for breast cancer research. The faces you are looking at will be very familiar to you soon, if they aren’t already. The next Olympic games will be a showcase for some of them, and I pray they all achieve their dreams. They stopped their crazy busy schedules to come to Carolyn Bongiorno’s “Skate For Hope” and give everyone who attended a reason to be in AWE. They did it for grandmas with breast cancer, for moms and moms of friends, for coaches, for mentors (hyperlink to the Dorothy Hamill post on the word ‘mentors’), the list is endless. They have all been touched, and they decided to do something about it with their staggering talents. THANK YOU Emily, Rockne & Keauna, Rachel, Evan & Emily, Ben & Brooke and Ryan (please be careful with those flips, man o man) for all that you do, for all you have done, and for all that you will be. Special thanks to Amy – you are the best substitute grandma I know. :) You truly are our National Treasures.