Why I love Caleb's Mom and the San Diego JDRF Walk to Cure diabetes...

You know what I love most about Buttons of Hope - Caleb's Mom, Caleb's Crew and of course Caleb...let me explain.

At 4:40pm this past Monday I get a call (try it dial 704.341.1954 you get me, really) from Nancy Cullen in San Diego (I'm in Charlotte NC) - Nancy is doing the San Diego JDRF Walk to Cure diabetes this Sunday in honor of her son Caleb. Nancy found me on Google searching for unique fundraising ideas. 

So of course I told Nancy are you kidding there's no way, how could I possibly make and ship 50 buttons in five days? in time for the JDRF walk....NOT!  But of course the answer was yes - I always say yes and then I just make it happen! Anyway we worked it out, I made the 50 buttons that night and shipped them the next day by FEDEX (always awesome) and I see where they will be delivered today!

Here's why this is so important and remarkable. When I get a call like this I think one thing - that one button (or fifty) is the most important thing to that person - in this case for Nancy the button is her son Caleb and having Caleb's picture will allow her to share Caleb's story (see below) with everyone who asks "Who is on your button?" - and they undoubtedly will ask!  If we had connected earlier can you imagine the impact of 50 people wearing Caleb's button weeks prior to the JDRF Walk - how many people would have asked about Caleb and JDRF Walk to Cure diabetes hundreds, thousands? Now that's a unique fundraising idea!

So why do I do this with so much passion, why do I make sure everyone who wants a button gets a button? (did you know I've outsourced the button making...to my garage haha - making every one of over 10,000 photo buttons myself by hand) Why? Because I know how important each single button is to the person who wears it. And my dream, vision (the reality) is that there are millions of people with a story to share just like Caleb's and I hope that some day they (and charities) too will see the power of "putting a face on their fundraising" with a button!

Here is Caleb's story...

"My son Caleb was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in June of 2008 at 3½ years old. Since his diagnosis he has had to endure approximately over 3,400 finger pricks to test his blood sugar and over 1,275 insulin shots.

We are participating in the 2009 JDRF Walk for Diabetes in San Diego.  Our team, Caleb’s Crew, was formed in honor of our son.  We are hoping to raise funds to find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes for Caleb and the more than 3 million Americans who have the disease.  Caleb has been a great inspiration to me because no matter how tough things get he is still a happy, bright, and lovable boy." Nancy Cullen, Mom

...that's quite a story, did it make a difference to see Caleb's picture? let us know leave a comment below