Behind the Button

Blog Action Day 2008 | poverty & buttons of hope

Much, much more to come from me about this powerful initiative. Please visit the Blog Action Day 2008 | poverty website and consider blogging or reading a blog on October 15, 2008 to help end poverty and if you're so inclined you can order an official Buttons of Hope Blog Action Day 2008 button to wear -- $2 from each button donated to Kiva and The Global Fund ($1 to each) order your buttons here!

30,000 children die each day from poverty related causes and you can help by simply reading and writing!

Kellie has a story to tell! Listen up!

When I ask a customer to share their story Behind the Button; I am sure of two things 1) the story is on the tip of their tongue and 2) it will be a powerful and inspiring.

Kellie Falk-Tillet is walking in the Charlotte Susan Komen Race for the Cure she has become a friend (like so many of my customers) so I asked her to share her story about buttons she made in honor of her friend Susan. Kellie ended her story with the words "I don't know what else to say..." and those are my words to start, as I told Kellie nothing more need be said.

This story is at the core of what Susan Komen For the Cure & humbly (Buttons of Hope) is all about..

"Interesting to get your email as I just hung up the phone with my friend, Susan as she just started her last chemo treatment at Duke. She was a bit loopy but ecstatic to be almost done with her treatment. I sent her a couple of buttons & she was calling me to thank me...she loved them & it made her cry.

Susan & I are friends from Meredith College. There are about 10 of us that lived on the same hall in the dorms over the years. As you can imagine it was like having a slumber party for 4 years with your best friends! We have celebrated weddings, births, deaths & other occasions...despite the years & distance we have remained close. We try taking annual trips but with families sometimes not everyone can make the annual trip.

Susan was the last one to marry...last year (August)...we were all able to attend her wedding. She was the last but probably was the one who wanted to get married the most. All of us have remained healthy except for Parker who had a close call with a brain aneurysm. So we were quite upset when we got Susan's email...right before her one year anniversary. She has been good about emailing us with progress & sending funny photos of her shaving or coloring her hair. She has been extremely brave & feels blessed that she has a supportive spouse, family & friends. I don't know what else to say..."

On October 4 in Charlotte NC Kellie will be up bright & early walking with her team Charlotte Apartments for the Cure joining over ten thousand people walking and running in the Charlotte Susan Komen Race for the Cure. There is still time to join or make a contribution to support Kellie's effort click here! makehope.

Race for the Cure Denver 2008 | Gets Personal

On Sunday, October 7, 2007 an astounding 61,591 women, men and children walked and ran in Denver’s Fifteenth Annual Komen Denver Race for the Cure®. Denver is on track again this year to be one of the largest Susan Komen Race for the Cure venues.

But as big as Denver and Susan Komen are it all comes down to remarkable people and the people who inspire them  to give a little of their soles to find a cure for breast cancer. Priscilla Hein is one of those people and I asked her to share her story about the person "Behind the Button"....

"Pat was my sister and she had been fighting Breast Cancer since 1999. She was a fighter.  In 2001 the cancer moved into her bones and the doctors had told her if she made it five years it would be a miracle.  Well as you can see she made it to August 12th 2008.  She gave it a hell of a fight.  Pat had two boys, their dad died when they were seven and eight years old in 1997.   Pat fought for those boys she didn't want them to be parentless at such a young age. Her and her boys moved in with me and my husband in Colorado moving from New Hampshire.  She knew that she needed to do something in case she took a turn for the worse she wanted her boys to be with family..
 
Last December she was told the cancer went to her liver and she had six months to live if the chemo didn't work. She was fighting to stay alive to see her youngest son turn 18 in June.  Well she made it..  She never complained one bit. Everyone who met her loved her...she touched so many lives. At her memorial service so many people stood up and talked about how much she touched their lives.. It made me proud to be her sister!
 
So the meaning about the button...well the picture is of her and my granddaughter. She sat with her in Pat's bedroom and they watched the Disney channel together all the time.  I took that picture of them so she would have something to remember Pat by.   
 
Gosh, the meaning is so she can be there with us when we walk in spirit.  To see that even though she is no longer here with us she will always be in our hearts.  And that we want a cure for this disease so that other families will not suffer the loss that we have. Plus we want people to put a face with the disease."

Priscilla will be out there bright and early Saturday morning October 5 with some 60,000 other heroes walking in honor of their loved ones and so that one day breast cancer will be like polio something we tell our grandkids about. Click here to find a Susan Komen For the Cure event near you and if you'd like to contribute to Priscilla's effort click here! 

Wow! That is one happy customer!

I actually get this a lot (see below). This time though was a little different ~ candidly I have been a bit frustrated of late, progress at Buttons of Hope has been sluggish at best. (When my wife starts asking me how many buttons I made today I know it's trouble!) The thing is I do get this a lot and it's because people love, love, love their buttons -- there is just something about seeing and holding that button with your loved one's face beaming back at you (even when your beloved is a chocolate lab named Balou!). Making those buttons of Balou just got me energized again, go figure! (story here)

So here's the promise I'll keep doing what it takes to have you feel the way Jerri Hatch does (and if you don't then your buttons are free!). And if you too love your buttons please tell me (it inspires me to do it more) -- but if you really want to make a difference tell a friend or two or twenty!

From Jerri...

Hi Michael
I received the buttons today and WOW - they are fantastic!  You do such a wonderful job....and you put in all those extras too and the nice note (below)! I was so impressed! I just couldn't believe it! I will spread the word to everyone and do everything possible with the PAWS organization. In fact I am going to stop in there and take your work and just show them and find out what we can do to promote the buttons. All the best and really I cannot thank you enough!!
Jerri (and Balou too!)

(click on the letter to enlarge)

I love when Seth Godin talks about small companies companies that are "small enough to succeed" and the BIG difference they make by caring about and listening to their customers! I strive to do that everyday!

The Cause Megaphone | It's (up to) you!

I am a student of the non-profit, charity, cause world ~ I suspect most of my Behind the Button readers not so much. You are the participants, the "doers' if you will, out there promoting a cause, raising money and honoring your loved ones. So here's the thing I just listened to a 40 minute talk by Seth Godin link here about the state of the non-profit world, it was made possible by the excellent Network for Good and... 

I think you should listen to this, because you can help, you are going to be the change, the difference!

Now mind you this talk was directed to and I assume attended mostly by non-profit professionals -- so at first I did not think it would merit your attention but as the call went on I recognized that one of the biggest (maybe the biggest) challenges the non-profit world faces is more likely to be solved bottom up (you) than top down. Seth talks about changing the game --turning the traditional, boring "fundraising funnel" around and making it a dynamic, focused (permitted) and loud "cause megaphone". This is where you come in you are going to have to help your favorite non-profit change. (little secret: they're longing for you to help) Your going to have to do things, here are five ideas (mine) to get you started:

1. tell them you want to "make your story part of their cause" not vice versa
2. tell them when too much email is too just much
3. tell them to give you something remark able for you to email your friends about, can't have too many emails like that
4. tell them when too many raised dollars are spent on too many tshirts, trinkets and event schwag
5. tell them you want to know what they think, really think about the cause ~ demand they start a dialogue (blog is the best way ~ start today here)
6. and.....

....too many more to mention here. The bottom line is if you love a cause take it upon yourself to speak up, to drive change. I think there are a whole lot of amazing non-profit professionals in sleepy organizations who need (are longing for) you to ally with them to be the change! I would love your thoughts and comments on this one please.

Every Dog has a Story| PAWS Chicago Run for their lives.

I have often said that Buttons of Hope is not just about the button, it's about a story. The button is simply a tool, a tangible way for people to express their emotion. 99% of the time the photos are of people so the story you are about to read is not the normal Behind the Button story. Today I made buttons for Jerri Hatch who will to wear buttons in the PAWS Chicago Run for their Lives September 28th. (make a donation here) When you read Jerri's thoughts about her dog Balou I think you'll see why I was so touched by the buttons I made in honor of her beloved "best friend".

"Last year I did the Paws Run because I love animals and try to help with them in any way possible.  I believe I raised about $1200 last year for the event. This year I am doing the run in honor of my beloved Chocolate Lab, Balou, who unfortunately passed away on July 2nd from cancer.  So far my team and I have raised $3655 and counting. 

We will wear our buttons with pride on Sunday the 28th and honor my best pal and well as all deserving animals. Over the 13 years of his life he has lived with us in Singapore, NYC (he and I witnessed 9/11 first hand only living 3 blks from the trade center), Los Angeles and Chicago.  He got to ride across the country twice and seemed to love Colorado (photo of him and I attached in Vail, CO).  I know that everyone thinks that their pet is the most special but Balou truly was an amazing dog. On 9/11 he was the only thing that kept me somewhat sane as we had to evacuate and take shelter nearby.  Once the dust cleared and daylight appeared we then walked with thousands of others across the Brooklyn Bridge to stay with some friends for a few days. After that we had to live in a hotel for almost 6 weeks and while there the Red Cross had blocks of rooms and every evening Balou would let them all pet him and he become their "personal" therapy dog.  He was happy to oblige.

It has only been a short time since he left us and there is a huge void in our lives. He truly was a best friend."

One small thing can make a big difference!

I stumbled upon Jon Howard, rather he stumbled upon me -- either way I am glad we did, Jon works with a very cool ad agency "across the pond" & authors a couple of blogs ~ I wanted to tell you about his blog "Just one small thing can make a big difference" -- in Jon's words

"An unashamedly positive celebration of small actions. Things we are all able to do, sometimes with little effort, that can make a big difference to the world around us."

 

Take a look at his blog -- some every interesting stuff including this gem about "Spreading the Nice" in London. I am taking a look at ways to bring this over the pond -- using buttons (or badges for you Brits) If there is one thing that could use MORE spreading over here it would be some "nice"!

Check it out!

Life really is like a box of chocolates.

You never know when or what you're gonna get. Tonight I settled in to catch up on my friend Seth Godin's blog. I read Seth's blog religiously because I find his thoughts clear, concise, profound and most often inspiring -- I can't tell you how many excerpts I have cut out and stuck to my office walls. (my favorite here)

So tonight I am reading along trying to figure how Seth is going to pull off making a point about flying baseball bats when lo and behold there it is a link about charitable tools ~ my charitable tools ~ my Buttons of Hope! Wow, thanks Seth I am taking that as an affirmation, a portent that "the people who are crazy enough to think believe they can change the world are the ones who do."

Oh and BTW Seth pulled off the flying bat point handily!

Kiss your kids (and spouse). Today, Now!

I was over visiting Ellie Potvin's CaringBridge site here and came upon this picture in their family photo gallery. Ellie's story.

Kiss your kids & hug your spouse; today, now!