Friday, July 27, 2012

Sisters helping sisters

There has been a furious flurry of activity and involvement in the past few weeks.
Women unknown to me from places unknown to me have taken a strong interest in this journey and are proudly being actively involved.  So often many people think that the primary focus of a cause is the money that you donate to support the cause.  Who stops to consider what the cause or group is doing for its supporters or those that don't know about the cause?
I realize that as a community group or non-profit within a community, there is an obligation to do more than just request monetary support.  We need to provide support of the issue and information as well.  We need to get the community involved even when they don't want to be and show them how to do just that.
Well, these past few weeks have been filled with loads of activity and support directed towards the community but flowing between  the community and us.
Women and men have been involved in a campaign promoting being proactive about their breast health and getting others involved.  Now by others, I mean those people close to them, those that they actually know and care about.  Much to my surprise and excitement it just EXPLODED!!! I mean the numbers just grew and grew even in the final hours, there were still people joining.  People were continuously joining the event and there was active dialogue taking place between participants. There was a sharing of information, giving support towards others and loads of encouragement being dispersed to one another.
It was more than I expected and just what I'd hoped for.
I can honestly say that as a group of sister/friends we had an awesome turnout and active participation. The women in this event we're exposed to something they didn't have before - an opportunity to learn, share and grow with one another and to provide an environment where the communication was open, honest and forthcoming.
This event was filled with women from various demographics, socioeconomic areas, academia, careers, age groups and ethnic backgrounds the same demographics that Breast Cancer targets; ALL of US!
Some of these women gained new sister/friends.  They had the dynamic resources to pose their inquiries to someone that has endured this journey- fighters and survivors.  They had an opportunity to learn how to perform their self check exam, we had the humor of checking while at the office, getting a reminder to get it done while I waited.  They had the support of others pushing them to achieve what no one else had questioned before.  This was a full fledged supportive event wherein the woman wanted to do this for themselves and others in the event.
For me to say that I'm proud of each of these women is an understatement.  To share what they did not only for themselves but for each other is the very least I can do.  They did the work, I was just in the background helping them with a slight nudge.
So to all those that think the main focus of a no-profit, community group/organization is the act of asking for money be on notice; we do more than that because its about more than that.  We do more because we care, we want to,we have to.
Ladies, I am PROUD of each of you for your proactive behaviors, for inviting your sister/friends to join us, for taking the initiative and sharing the opportunity with one another.  Keep doing this and we will make an impact in our lives, our children and in our communities.

I am My Sister's Keeper




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