Behind the Button

cancer Doesn't Stand a Chance Against That Smile!

For me it's always been about the "eyes". I've made thousands of buttons (by hand one by one) sometimes hundreds of the same photo - behind each face there is a powerful story of courage, spirit and hope - making the buttons can be zen-like as I feel like I get to know the person through their eyes - but today it's different, it's all about...THAT SMILE!

My good friend and fellow Mojorider Scott Helms asked me if I would make some buttons for his friend "across the pond". I'm always interested in the stories behind the buttons people make (hint: everyone's interested in the stories - sharing a story is the BEST thing you can do to support your cause - and a photo is the best way to grab somebody's attention!). Well Scott shared the story of Elizabeth Fallon - he met Liz through his mom Wendy who happened upon Liz on Facebook....in Liz' words

"Sometimes...people are so kind and thoughtful that it brings tears to your eyes!!

At the Isle of Wight festival last year (I am in the UK by the way) I was in a tent that sold joke wigs.  I was trying to decide between a green one and a purple one - I chose the purple. I then had a photo taken that ended up being my profile picture on Facebook.

Around this time, a lovely lady in the USA named Wendy, was looking for a long lost school friend on facebook with no success. When the list of all the names of the people who shared her friend's name came on the screen, along with their friends, my picture popped up and she noticed my photo and my purple wig.  She then sent me a message just to say "hello" as she is a "purple person" and loves everything purple. We have been writing to each other ever since and as it turns out she is a lung cancer survivor (and has had more than one recurrence so knows all about the fight!)

Ok...through Wendy, I have become friends with her son Scott who has joined my Facebook group "Elizabeth's 'on the road to recovery' running friends" as he has started running in the past year or so.  Another of his friends, Michael, also joined my running group (he is a cyclist and has a picture of him on his facebook page riding with Lance Armstong in a recent fundraising ride!!!). Michael runs a website called "buttons of hope".  (Buttons in the USA are what we call badges).  Are you with me so far??!!

So, Scott sent a message on facebook last week asking for my address as between the three of them they had a surprise to send me.... and boy what a surprise!!!  Today, a parcel arrived with my very own "Buttons of Hope"  So, what I have done this evening on facebook is tell people that I'll send them one (while stocks last) if they make a donation to Harbour Cancer Support Centre in Gosport http://www.harbourcancer.org.uk/.  What's more, Scott ran a half marathon last week and was true to his word when he said he was running in my honour as he included his finishers medal in the parcel.  Some people are so kind!!!!  And to think... I have never met any of these nice people!!!  What an act of kindness that has given me so much pleasure!"    

Wow! I've often said that the magic of Buttons of Hope is that photo buttons can help people share their story - to put a face on their cause. These little buttons are powerful they can engage (Scott and Wendy), motivate (me) and inspire us ALL to do remarkable things.

I'll leave you with this thought - my vision is to make a million buttons for a million different people - after seeing what one button has done for Liz, her friends and her family - I can only imagine what a million buttons might do! Yup...together we might just be crazy enough to CHANGE THE WORLD!

Godspeed Liz and thank you for your SMILE!

"I want to take in as much as I can" Jake Olson

If you wonder (as I do) if there are people left to truly believe in - genuine people, heroes - the answer is yes and here's proof!

Get to Know MOTHERS FIGHTING FOR OTHERS

A while back I met a guy named Jeff Turner - he's a pretty amazing - innovative, funny and not afraid to shake things up - my kind of guy! He's big on Twitter if you're into that sort of thing @respres. Jeff's pretty focused on real estate so it's not Jeff I want to talk about here rather his better half, his wife Rocky (what's not to like about a woman named Rocky!!) Rocky heads up an organization MOTHERS FIGHTING FOR OTHERS (all caps just seemed right for this one). I hope you'll check (I am) out this amazing charity to learn...what an inspired army of mothers can do to change the world ...no doubt! Rocky's on Twitter too @headmutha

So here's the thing that caught my attention today - as a "writer" (hey you got a blog you're a writer, right?) I have an enormous respect for well written stuff especially when it comes from the heart with a heavy dose of passion - Bill Lublin's post today about Rocky's cause is eloquent, real and poignant. I think some of the things he says about the challenge of fundraising will resonate with some of you as you go about making the world a better place - so I wanted to share parts of Bill's article (below) and hope that you will do two things and realize one...

1. do check out Bill Lublin's post on MOTHERS FIGHTING FOR OTHERS and the rest of his blog - he has something to say and he says it well
2. do check out the MOTHERS FIGHTING FOR OTHERS cause and get involved if you are so moved
3. realize and never doubt for a minute how important and hard it is to volunteer, fundraise or donate to worthy causes - the world would not spin the same way without you!

Now a little taste of Bill's post Help Change the World at MOVEPHILLY

"I'm not the greatest person to participate in fundraising activities.

Don't get me wrong I'm a very charitable guy, but I tend to be the guy who makes the donation more than the guy who asks for them . I always feel like I'm imposing on someone when I ask them to support the fund raising efforts of one of the causes that are important to me like the American Cancer Society, or Easter Seals, or the Lupus Foundation, so when I am asked to be part of a group making the effort to raise money , I am reticent about asking others for their help. Maybe its a character flaw, but that's just how it is. This time I'm making an exception to that behavior because my friend Rocky Turner has allowed me and my son Hal and daughter-in-law Jennifer the privilege of helping Rocky in her constant efforts to raise money for children in Kenya..." for more

You Can't Move On, So You Try to Move Forward

Mary and John Kelker are moving forward ~ and it's a big deal! I think often of the Kelkers and of course of their daughter Janine who is such a big part of what Buttons of Hope (and I) have become. If it's true (and it is) that you can tell a lot about a person from there friends and family ~ well then Janine Kelker must have been some kind of wonderful person.

This past Saturday morning I walked with Janine's family & friends in the Charlotte Walk Like MADD walkathon to end the scourge of drunk driving. It was a beautiful morning and it was so good to see Janine's Mom Mary truly smile ~ I have seen Mary smile a few times before in he three years I have known her but this time was different ~ she seemed more at peace and while never forgetting, never moving on Mary seemed like she was starting to move forward. We walked a good part of the walk together talking about kids, jobs, the economy, life and of course Janine - knowing full well that the world would be a wondrously better place with Janine walking beside us.

You might ask why someone I never met means so much to me? If I've learned one thing from the hundreds of tragic stories I have embraced the past three years it is this ~ as many gifts as a person has to give in life, there are also gifts that can only be given in death. This is not to say that by any measure death is better than life ~ just that I have seen such strength and purpose in the people who have lost loved ones ~ that the only explanation is those who have gone help us, nurture us all to move forward in peace.

I am glad to have cone to know the Kelkers, proud to call them my friends and I only wish I could have met Janine ~ who inspires me everyday.     

Something(s) to Believe In - Hugh Mcleod & Buttons of Hope

"the market for something to believe in is infinite" ~ Hugh MacLeod

The image above was originally drawn on he back of a business card. I am pretty sure Hugh Macleod does not think of himself as an artist per se. His work is funny, provocative, sometimes petulant and always remarkable - he is collaborating with his good friend Seth Godin to offer limited edition prints of his "back of the business card art" -- very cool check it out here & here. 

So why am I writing about this in Behind the Button? Because "something to believe in is [indeed] infinite" and I'll add [increasingly rare] and as Hugh says...

"...the idea that products were not just functional things to be mass produced and foisted upon consumers, really began to take on meaning for me. We human beings are here to find meaning, not just to consume stuff - and that has informed my philosophy ever since." Mine too!

Helping people find meaning, making a product that is so much more than a combo of paper, metal and plastic is what Buttons of Hope is all about. Just yesterday I was telling a friend about a post I did on behalf of Michele Kwok and her Dad. He said "she must have been a big customer" - no not really she ordered one button (and I made another for free) - see for me it's not all about the money, it's about the project, it's about making a really, really big change in the way people view causes, raise money and in how they view themselves. My friend Will said "(I) was much more about making a difference than a profit" ~ I like that he said that!

I think for most of my customers their buttons are simply a tangible expression of "something to believe in and hope for"

Have you been validated today?

Do yourself a BIG favor on Thanksgiving -- I guarantee the family, the malls, the traffic, the food and most of all the parking will look very different for this uplifting story by Kurt Kuenne. Click here to watch the short video (it's 15 minutes so please make sure you have time to watch it uninterrupted -- grab a cup of coffee or glass of wine and....smile! Oh and my you look great have you lost weight!?

Thanks to the Go-Giver Blog

and fantastic book for pointing us to this gem!

"I should be gone in a week or so." Brenden Foster

Brenden Foster died on Friday November 21st.
(thanks to Elisa Jaffe KATU News who covered this story so beautifully & helped
me get buttons to Brenden and his family)

Brenden Foster may have passed away by the time you read this. The very fact that the words "I should be gone in a week or so" are those of an eleven year old young man should cut us to the bone and inspire each of us to do something, to do something to end the scourge of cancer. Brenden Foster is dying of leukemia and yet you'd be amazed to hear what is on HIS mind.

It will be very hard to watch this video and not cry ~ so it's OK ~ but Brenden would want that to be the end of the tears. Brenden is spending his last days doing some good for others -- what will we do with our days?

Ever been inspired by a $4 latte?

OK of course not (although I was once quite smitten with a Cafe' au Lait in a Paris cafe) but I digress.

I have been working full time on Buttons of Hope for a little over a year and truth be told I am getting frustrated, maybe exasperated is a better description. You see I think making photo buttons is my life's passion and what I was meant to do. I can assure you that one didn't cross my mind in Mrs. McMannamy's third grade career day! But it's true I love every minute of what I do and I love what what these little buttons are doing for people (a couple poignant examples to follow) but here's the rub with a family, Ryan and Emily in high school and college to come I have got to get Buttons of Hope to tip! I need to be on Oprah!

I am never really sure how many people read my blog, hello, hello, hello.... (please leave me a comment -- so I know you're there!) but if you are reading (duh?) and you think you'd like to help -- order a button and spread the word. If you're new? send me a note and I'll send you a free hope button to get you started -- I don't bite and I won't take advantage of your email either (although we do have a kickin' newsletter)!

So here's the thing for about the price of a Starbucks latte you can inspire yourself and honor a loved one by wearing a button with their picture -- pretty simple yet powerful! I hope you will read these notes I received recently from my customers, my friends. They say nice things about me (OK I like that) but the thing is I think they are genuinely moved and inspired by this little sandwich of plastic, metal and memories. There is magic in a face, a smile that you will never find in a colored ribbon or plastic wristband!

From my friends Jamie and Michelle

"Thank you Michael, I feel so blessed to have found your company and I will be sure to spread the word even further about what a great company this is!  I still plan on writing in the behind the button blog, I just want to make sure I say the right thing. I know I read just one story and that was all I needed to have tears brought to my eyes. I think you have done a wonderful thing in bringing out the reason why people are doing fundraisers. When you have someone's story and photo it makes everything real and not just a fundraiser. So thank you." Jamie Hushower (buttons for husband who committed suicide)

If you'd like to help please visit a great organization American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Oh Mr. Michael, Thank you so very much Me and Tony's brothers were all in tears when we saw the buttons, tears of joy knowing he was a hero. I thank you from the bottom of my heart! I wear my buttons each day to work and everywhere I go. I love them. I will be ordering more, lots more of them for Tony's angel date June 28. OK God Bless you, you really touch me and my boy's life and heart. You are an amazing man, keep up the good work. !!!Hugs Patrick, Lorenzo, Michelle!!! Michelle Brown (son Tony was murdered in New Orleans)

If you'd like to help please make a donation in Tony's honor to the Young Marines

Thanks for listening and continuing to always "be the change you wish to see in the world..."

Successful Fundraising Event? "Share Why You Care"

Charity Navigator evaluates over 5,300 of "America's largest charities." [that does not include the thousands more local and grassroot organizations let alone bake sales, car washes & candy sales] and you wonder why it's hard to fundraise, hard to set your cause apart!? The point: Almost all of these are worthy causes with good caring people committed to making them successful. The Problem: So many good causes and smart people make it very hard for charities to differentiate and for donors to decide who to support -- in fact some people opt out all together understandably overwhelmed.

So what to do? How do you make YOUR fundraising event successful, first you don't...they do! You as a fundraising professional or semi pro have to make the cause/event about them -- your participants, your volunteers and your donors. Successful fundraising events boil down to a simple equation VFD+E! 

[V] volunteers/staff [F] fundrasiers [D] donors + [E!] enthusiasm. Simple theory more complicated in practice -- yet maybe more complicated than it needs to be.

So here's your tip... "make their story part of your cause." Keep doing all those things people expect like free t-shirts, inflatable slides, face painting, free schwag all of it and then do one more thing. Encourage, facilitate and cajole your people to share their story. Whether it's a cancer walk, a school fundraiser or heaven forbid a political rally -- everyone is there for a reason and in that reason is a story. [don't overlook the volunteers and donors they have stories too it's why they do what they do or give what they give] 

Helping people, encouraging people to "share why they care" will ignite your event -- think about it, the best events are the ones built on a story -- if you don't have a story find one -- don't be phony [nothing worse than that] --but if you look you will always find a compelling story to rally around year after year. Think: Same cause, Different story

So what do I know? well I started a cycling team 3 years ago called Mojoridng (yeah for the young it's Austin Powers for the rest of us the DOORS) -- last year 60 of us raised over $110,000 for two causes which still stuns me -- but at first my team was like any other group of middle aged people --overwhelmed, over-requested and even a bit jaded -- so while the 24 Hours of Booty | LIVESTRONG cancer fundraiser was a worthy and fun event -- how does a captain energize a team to do the remarkable?

Of course we all know Lance's story but it wasn't enough so I encouraged my teammates to share their stories -- and share they did it was if they had been waiting for someone to ask, someone to care -- they told stories; Dale's and Janie's and Carl's and Bev's and Omar's and more...and then the secret sauce -- we made it tangible -- we made photo buttons to wear in honor our loved ones, to share our stories the buttons were a tangible expression of the emotions we felt pride & love -- we even set up a gallery here which encouraged (peer pressured a bit) more people to make buttons -- my team got engaged, motivated and inspired ending up the top team with $55,000!  Encourage and help your participants|donors to personalize the event and they'll not only match that success...they'll probably exceed it!!

I am unabashed in promoting photo buttons for your event -- Buttons of Hope is my company but I have seen the profound difference it is making for people [see the Atlanta UMDF All Aboard Walk gallery here] and I think the promise is no less than the transformation of fundraising by simply putting a face on it.

Fundraising success = sharing your story with a great cause!

Photo Buttons Serve Many Causes, Focus on People

I am honored to be chosen as South Park (Charlotte NC) magazine's Snapshot for March 2008! Buttons of Hope is my passion & I hope this helps everyone understand just how powerful custom photo buttons & putting a face on your cause can be! | read full the article here

This would be a good time to give a nod and thanks to some remarkable organizations --  I am honored & excited about working with the following groups in 2008:  Charlotte Catholic High School | Lance Armstrong Foundation | Live Strong Challenge |NC Special Olympics | Memory Walk South Carolina | Polly Klaas Foundation (missing children) | Kristen Foundation (missing adults) | Memory-Of.com | Memory Jar |  Adopt A US Soldier | Free to Breathe | Hope & Hearts | Carolina Breast Friends | Mother's day Central | & 24 Hours of Booty cancer fundraiser.

Buttons of Hope are Simply Powerful