October Means Volunteering

The unexpected benefit of giving kindness is receiving joy. 

This post is a quick update from The Holleger Kids about the opportunities we have had this month to volunteer for Breast Cancer Awareness Month! 

  Don't forget to like THE HOLLEGER KIDS on Facebook! 

OCTOBER 13th, October PINK Shopping Event
by Susan G. Komen
at the Philadelphia Premium Outlets

Beth and Mary were privileged to be volunteers at this fundraiser, and honored to meet other volunteers who had a special connection with breast cancer as well. One of our co-volunteers was Liz Barker, breast cancer survivor and author, who blogged about the event here. 

Beth (left) and Mary (right) at the information table.

 Beth Chernoff (left) and Liz Barker (right), both breast cancer survivors and volunteers 

 Beth wearing the Komen "Ask Me" button

OCTOBER 26th, Cupcake Baking 
by The Holleger Kids
for Montgomery Home Care and Hospice in Norristown, PA 

As a special thank you to the hospice center that took care of not only our mom but also our entire family during her last few months battling inflammatory breast cancer, Beth and Mary baked five dozen cupcakes to give to Montgomery Home Care and Hospice of Norristown, PA, and decorated them with breast cancer ribbons. The nurses and staff there were so happy to see us, and we even got a chance to see some of the individual nurses who took care of our mom. Hospice workers have an especially hard job, and we wanted them to know that they are appreciated, and that they are a vital source of support for families who have a loved one with a terminal illness. 

 Cupcakes!

 Beth with the cupcakes

 Julianna and Mary with the cupcakes 

 Mary's boss Dr. Ho generously allowed us to bake in his lovely kitchen

 Hospice worker taking the first bite- yum! 

 Some of the hospice workers

 Some hospice workers with Mary, Julianna and Beth.
The nurse in the middle was our mom's wound care specialist.

 Montgomery Home Care and Hospice- best of 2011 sign! Congrats! 

Beth with her breast cancer pumpkin for Halloween 

2012 Race for the Cure (Philadelphia)

Beth, Mary, Matt and Julianna walked in the 2012 Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Philadelphia, PA on Sunday, March 13th, Mother's Day. Here are some great pictures of the occasion! Great memories.

Locks of Love

Mary here! Today, I finally chopped off all my hair and donated it to Locks of Love. For those of you who don't know, Locks of Love is an organization that takes donated hair and makes wigs for children suffering from cancer, or other medical conditions that make them lose their hair. Today was my fourth time donating my hair. I encourage all of you (men and boys, too!) to grow your hair and donate! Check the websites for the requirements.

Here are the before and after pictures from today!

Our First Fundraiser

SUMMARY

Breast Cancer Fundraiser Party, April 20, 2012 

Blue Bell, PA 

Our Goal: $1500 

Actual money raised: $1600.01after all expenses 

Money donated to Susan G. Komen: $1417.00

Money donated to the American Cancer Society: $183.01

Number of Guests in Attendance: 40, including ourselves 

THANK YOU! 

"The Holleger Kids" 

(and grandkids)

Left to right: John, Beth, Dianne, Rachel, Julianna, Mary, and Paul 

SPECIAL THANKS 

Mrs. Heather Ho for letting us use her lovely home.
Shuler's Jewelers for their generous donation of the Pandora bracelet.
Kerrin's Salon for their generous donation of the haircut, massage, and salon goodies basket.
Bocelli's Restaurant for their delicious pasta bar.
Erika Camm of Subversion Fitness for her generous donation of the fitness bootcamp.
Miss Tiffany Borawski for making the scrumptious cupcakes.
Heather from Chickabug.com for her creative graphic design and breast cancer themed decorations.
Mark Meehan and Lindsey McKay for their beautiful live music.
Mrs. Rebecca Misiura for speaking.
Mrs. Lori Hallman for her generous donation of the Hershey Spa gift basket.
J. Davis Printing for providing their services for this event and numerous other occasions.
Our friends and family for their love and support, and all the donations that they gave.

HIGHLIGHTS 

Hours of hard work and planning were well worth the effort for our very first Breast Cancer Fundraiser Party. The payoff was more than just the $1600.01 we raised in honor of our mother, Kathleen M. Holleger who passed away from inflammatory breast cancer in 2007. Making memories, bonding with our siblings, uncovering beautiful and at times tough emotions, and giving our mother a legacy to help others in need were just some of the additional bonuses we got to experience on this journey.

Beth and Mary making decorations and preparing raffle items

We couldn't have done it without you- the very core of our friends and family- helping us out. We were able to raise money towards cancer research, and begin our personal goal of educating people about the rare and aggressive form of breast cancer known as inflammatory breast cancer which does not present itself as the "lump" most women are taught to look for.

Rachel dancing to the live music by Lindsey and Mark

But along the way, we got to have some fun! Babies were everywhere, it seemed, with Julianna (Mary's daughter), Rachel (Dianne's daughter), and Rachel's cousin Tommy stealing the show with their sheer cuteness. But competing for a close second had to be the amazing pasta by Bocelli's, the beautiful live music by Lindsey and Mark, Heather Ho's gorgeous home, and the fun raffle prizes! Lots of people bought extra raffle tickets, and we were very happy for all the winners! John, the youngest "Holleger Kid," donated an original painting for the raffle, which was extra special.

John's original painting

All the Holleger Kids did a lot of work, but a special recognition needs to go to Beth, the second youngest, who really took on the biggest load and was our leader for this project. Without her creativity combined with her organization and hard work, we wouldn't have been able to pull this off.

Beth selling raffle tickets

The party, it seems, was a big hit with everyone, and we hope to have your continued support in the upcoming years! Thank you again to everyone who came. It truly was a night to remember, and we know that if our mom were here, she'd be proud and grateful to all of you for your support.

Mary speaking

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:

http://holleger-kids.blogspot.com/2012/04/2012-fundraiser-party-ultimate-photo.html

After the party, we took a trip to our mom's grave and placed the flowers that we had displayed on her memorial table and as a centerpiece for the party. Her gravestone reads, "Her children arise up, and call her blessed. Her husband also, and he praiseth her." Proverbs 31:28

OUR FUTURE

Thank you so much for your support this Spring! We'd like to ask you to please plan ahead for our future fundraisers. Ideally, we'd like to do one smaller fundraiser each October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and one larger event each Spring. In the interim, we would like to focus on educating our community about inflammatory breast cancer whenever and wherever we have the opportunity. Ultimately our goal is to achieve official status as a non-profit organization to raise funds to educate people about IBC, as well as donate towards research for the treatment and prevention of breast cancer. We hope to achieve this status in the next year or two, but this is a very difficult to achieve so we will need your continued support as we work towards this goal. For now, we are taking the initials steps of defining our non-profit's goals and identity and educating ourselves fully on the process, and also planning a local bake sale for this October. Also, this Mother's Day, May 13th, 2012, we plan to walk together in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5k in Philadelphia. 

"An individual doesn't get cancer, a family does." 

2012 Fundraiser Party: Photo Highlights

Here are just the highlights from the event! If you have any photos of your own, please email them to Mary at marykh14@gmail.com, and I will add them.  Check our other blog posts for information on attendance, and the total dollar amount of money we raised! 

To see all the photos, check out our blog here.

2012 Fundraiser Party: The Ultimate Photo Collection

Here are all the photos from the event! If you have any of your own, please email them to Mary at marykh14@gmail.com, and I will add them.  Check our other blog posts for information on attendance, and the total dollar amount of money we raised! 

To see just the highlights, check out our blog here. 

Special Guests

We are happy to officially announce that THE ARN FAMILY will be able to join us from Ohio for the fundraiser on April 20th. Dianne, Mark, and Rachel will be joining us for the party. Rachel is almost 2 years old now! Also, baby Julianna Giannone (Mary's daughter) who was born in January will be making her debut to many of you at the party.

   

Photo: Dianne Holleger Arn, Mark Arn, baby Julianna Giannone (Mary's daughter), and Rachel Arn


Photo: baby Julianna Giannone

Pasta Bar by Bocelli's

Great news! An absolutely AMAZING local restaurant, Bocelli's, has agreed to donate a pasta bar for our fundraising event on April 20th! You don't want to miss this food. Absolutely to die for authentic Italian cuisine. Thank you, Rafael!

More about Bocelli's:
http://bocellidining.com/

Party Planning Update

Hello everyone! Mary here. My brothers and sisters and I have been working hard on our first Breast Cancer Fundraiser Party on April 20th! We've been planning some beautiful decor, delicious food, and amazing live music. And we've been getting some fantastic donations for our raffle prizes! Here are some of the prizes we've got secured for now, and we'll still working on a few additional prizes. Don't forget to RSVP- we have limited space!

RAFFLE PRIZES:

• Pandora Bracelet donated by Shuler's Jewelers
  
  
  
• Family Night Gift Basket
  
• Date Night Gift Basket
  
  
  
• Hershey Spa Day Gift Basket donated by Mrs. Lori Hallman
  
  
  
• Fitness Boot Camp donated by Erika Camm of Subversion Fitness
  
  
  
• Haircut and Massage donated by Kerrin's Salon
  

Sweet Reminders

Hello Everyone!
This is Beth. I wanted to write a short blog post to share with you all something very special that happened to me earlier today. If you have been keeping up with our blog or are on Facebook, you probably know that we will be having a very special fundraiser in April in memory of our Mom to benefit The American Cancer Society and Susan G. Komen. I am very excited about it, and have personally, along with my other siblings, been working very hard to plan this special evening. We have been putting a lot of time, resources, and creativity into it, and in the middle of some planning today, I looked down at my floor and saw this shadow:


I have to admit, I teared up just a little bit. It was such a wonderful, beautiful reminder of her and her sweet spirit. I hope that this fundraiser, along with everything I do, brings honor to her memory and her name. It has been 4 years since she passed away, and I still think about her every day. She inspires me to be a better person - someone she would be proud of. So much has happened these last few years, and sometimes I wish that she was still a part of my life. But I know that things work out for the best and I can see the Good in things. I love you, Mom.

Please click the "Fundraising Events" tab at the top of this page for more information about the upcoming fundraiser or to purchase tickets online!

Komen Controversy

Hello, everyone. Mary here. I wanted to write a note to our friends and family- our donors- on behalf of all the Holleger Kids in response to the recent controversy involving the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

The Controversy: 
It has come to our attention that certain branches of the Susan G. Komen Foundation have given money to Planned Parenthood specifically to fund screening for breast cancer and cervical cancer to women who have no health insurance. This money goes specifically for- and directly to- that purpose alone, and does not go to fund abortions. However, conservatives across the nation protested in outrage. This caused the Komen Foundation to withdraw all future support from Planned Parenthood. At this point, the liberals protested, and Komen responded to the national criticism by reversing their policy yet again, deciding that they will continue to provide cancer screenings to women in need by donating to Planned Parenthood in the future. The back-and-forth caused quite a national stir, and has caused mixed feelings among conservatives and liberals alike.

It is important to note that all Komen branches are LOCAL, and the Philadelphia Affiliate with which we are associated has NOT donated to Planned Parenthood during the time we raised money for them. Not because they are opposed to it one way or the other, but because Planned Parenthood is simply not on their list of grant applicants. To see the letter we received from Komen themselves, you can scroll to the bottom of this page.

In Honor of Our Mother: 
All of us "Holleger Kids" have different views regarding this controversy. But one thing we all agree on is that we want to do what our mother would want us to do. As a conservative Christian, our mother was passionately pro-life. We believe that even though Komen does not provide any money to fund abortions, and the Philadelphia Affiliate does not fund Planned Parenthood period, that our mother would have still preferred us to consider donating to another charity in the future.

Before this controversy arose, we were already considering switching our charity to The American Cancer Society, so that we could honor our three grandparents who have died of various forms of cancer as well as our mother. We all feel that breast cancer gets a lot of awareness, and there are many other cancers that need research and support as well. In the light of this recent controversy, we feel like this may be a good time to begin this transition.

What We're Doing: 
This year, we are honoring our commitment to the Philadelphia Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. The money raised does not go to support Planned Parenthood. But we wish to give you, our donors, the option to donate to either Susan G. Komen or The American Cancer Society. We do not want our donors to have to face a personal moral dilemma that would prevent them from donating if they felt strongly about the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Next year, we will fully transition to donating solely to The American Cancer Society. However, we still plan to participate non-financially in the Mother's Day Race for the Cure (by Komen) every year in honor of our mother.

How You Can Help: 
If you live in the area, please attend our fundraising party on April 20th! Click the "FUNDRAISING EVENTS" tab for more information and to purchase tickets. You can specify which charity you would like to donate towards. If you can't make it to the party, please visit the "DONATE" tab to donate directly to the Holleger Kids. Donations made to the Holleger Kids in general will go to The American Cancer Society, and to help fund our future events. You may still donate to the Komen Foundation by visiting our TEAM PAGE and making a donation there.

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Thank you all 

for your past and future donations 

as we continue to 

KEEP THE MAIN THING THE MAIN THING

and FIGHT THIS DISEASE! 


-The Holleger Kids

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LETTER FROM THE PHILADELPHIA AFFILIATE OF SUSAN G. KOMEN:

Dear Mary, We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your steadfast friendship to the Komen Philadelphia Affiliate, and to the millions of people we serve. Over the past week, our local staff and board of directors personally advocated for the people served by our mission. We give you our word, despite the events stemming from Komen National headquarters' decision to change affiliate grant making policies, the focus of the Komen Philadelphia Affiliate was on women and their families, and this is where it will remain. With determination and outrage, we banded together with other Komen affiliates throughout the country to advocate for what we know is right. Please know that we will continue to work with our colleagues across the country to advocate for grant making policies that have the health of women as their first and foremost concern. Our local grant making process is rigorous and uses an independent peer-review system to evaluate grant applications and make funding recommendations. Since 2006, Komen Philadelphia has provided over $15.5 million in grants to local organizations that deliver breast health services and over $6 million to support breast cancer research grants at the national level. In 2012-2013 alone, our grantees will provide more than 70,000 women in our local communities with vital breast health services through programs funded by Komen Philadelphia. Our only chance of building on this record of service is to raise more funds to help more women. We now look forward to continuing our leadership of the breast cancer movement even more strongly and compassionately in our fifteen counties. Yes, the past week may have 'shook us up' a bit, but so did the last economic spiral and many other difficult challenges over the 22-year history of our Komen Philadelphia Race for the Cure. But, as you know, we not only overcame each one, we found strength and growth in doing so! We are confident this situation will be the same and, again, this is the reason I write... to thank you as one of our valuable Race participants and fundraisers - for the unfaltering friendship, support and faith in our work and the cures that allow us to do so. If you have any questions about this issue, The Affiliate's role in the events that unfolded, or our outlook, please contact me personally at 215-238-8900. As you know, The Affiliate positions the Race as "Our Race. Our Community. Our Cures!" I invite you to draw upon this with me as inspiration and confirmation of our promise to serve our communities in the ways we KNOW will enrich and save lives. With sincerest thanks, Elaine I. Grobman Chief Executive Officer Contact Information phone: 215-238-8900

Save the Date!

SAVE THE DATE!

Friday, April 20th,
we will be having a very special fundraiser with live music, raffles, and more! We would love for you all to join us!
More information coming soon!
Beth and friend, Lori Hallman, at a Susan G. Komen event in January