Crafting a Cure: Breast Cancer Awareness on Etsy

2009-10-14T10:20:00-05:00

As many of you may have noticed, there are waves of pink on everything from ribbons to tortillas in October. Why? Because October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This annual event is dedicated to educating women (and those who love them) about the early signs of breast cancer and prevention. It has grown to celebrate survivors and raise funds for research.

Little fundraisers by scrumptiousdelight, whose mother died of breast cancer

The gentlemen and ladies of the Etsy Plush Team, like so many of you, have been touched by this disease. Mothers, sisters, daughters and friends have all been diagnosed with a disease that can be devastating. I stress the can be. Because of the work done by scientists, doctors, patients and all of us who support them, real progress has been made in the fight against breast cancer. We are at an important crossroads in the medical history of this disease. We are close to the cure. As I write this, Canadian scientists announced they have decoded all three billion letters in the DNA sequence of a metastatic breast cancer tumors: a critical step in understanding both the cause and the cure of breast cancer.

Plush Team member Patti Haskins is my personal hero. She tells her story much better than I do:

"This January is my sixth anniversary of when I started treatment. I did the whole lumpectomy, chemo, radiation thing. I've had better times. Now, every six months I visit doctors to see how I'm doing — so far, so good. But it is never out of my mind. I always wonder when it will be back. Hopefully, when it rears its ugly head again, there will be a cure, and it will be ‘not a big deal.’ Or maybe there will even be something to take to maintain life and keep the cancer cells from growing. It doesn't cure me, but it lets me live with it. I could handle that, living with arrested cancer. It’s that freewheeling cancer, running rampant through my body that scares me."

Plush deer by FollowtheWhiteRabbit for the Plush Team

It was very easy for the Plush Team to choose the charity for our fall fundraiser: the Susan G. Komen Fund for the Cure. Because we are a global team, the Komen Fund is a great match for us. They do outreach and raise funds for research projects in countries all over the globe. The Komen Fund also has a very high rating from Guidestar.org. (Guidestar.org is an independent organization that rates non-profit groups to better inform donors on the success of their missions and the accountability of their fundraising.)

We were curious what other teams and Etsians were doing during Awareness month. The SHETeam (Schooling at Home Etsians) has organized an informal fundraising sale. At the end of October, all proceeds from designated items will be donated to a breast cancer charity of their choice. The SHETeam is 85 members strong and a self-proclaimed “G-Rated” Team. Search the Handmade section for “sheteamoct09” for their items. This cuff is by KimPayne.
Other individual Etsians are motivated to earmark a portion of their sales to breast cancer awareness organizations year round. Jeweler Aimee Golant has created this inspiring brooch symbolizing the power of the feminine spirit. 10% of the proceeds from the sale of the Shin Pin will benefit Sharsheret, a Jewish women's breast cancer organization.
Jeweler LUQ2 has taken her family’s personal struggle and transformed her experiences into this powerful statement of hope. 20% of sales of the Cancer Awareness Bracelet will be sent to Entertainment Industry Foundation's Women's Cancer Programs.
Designer annaaizic has harnessed the healing power of stones in her Majestic Labradorite and Silver necklace. Anna also donates 15% from each sale to Susan G. Komen Fund for the Cure.
Breast cancer also affects the men in our lives. This Pink Ribbon Tie by kjmSILKS is a great way for misters to show their support. 15% of the sale price goes to the Komen Fund.

Celebrate survival and triumph with a Pink Party! I was inspired by paperandcake’s Pink Party for Breast Cancer Awareness Month — Printable Download PDF. What a great idea! This kit contains fun and sophisticated designs for you to decorate in style. And 50% of the sale price goes to the Komen Fund.

So how does a team of plushmakers scattered all over the globe go about launching a project to raise funds for Breast Cancer Awareness month? In a word: boobs!

Pink Puddings from fakeradish

We wanted to challenge ourselves as makers as well as highlight some of the iconic imagery associated with Breast Cancer Awareness month. So we came up with three themes: boobs, pink Ribbon and pink. Team members had a month to come up with items that reflected one of the themes, and I must say, our team created beautiful, funny and fearsome work!

100% of all funds (minus shipping) raised from Breast Cancer Awareness projects sold in the Plush Team shop will be donated to the Komen Fund. We’ve raised over $250.00 so far….and with your help, we hope to raise more! Check some more of our plush items below and in our team shop. Make sure to check the sold listings in our shop because there are some great items you'll get a kick out of!

Further Resources:

PlushTeam Blog
Susan G. Komen Fund for Cure
Entertainment Industry Foundation's Women's Cancer Programs
Sharsheret
GuideStar
I mention this cool crazy thing in the first paragraph of this post — The El Rey Tortilla Factory in Milwaukee is making pink tortillas!

See more Storque posts about cancer awareness.

Fundraising for Dawn's Boys

2008-01-02T13:01:00-05:00

A group of Etsians have banded together to raise money for two Louisiana Boys , 8 and 10 years old, who just lost their hard working and wonderful artist Mom in a motorcycle accident a few days before Christmas. Dawn Habisreitinger was an artist with a shop on Etsy.com called JewelrybyDawn.etsy.com. She had been doing well enough on Etsy and eBay to make a living from her art. Now, this group of Etsy artists from all over the world are fundraising for her boys through this blog post and by listing items for sale through Etsy. Search for "Dawns Boys" on Etsy and you'll see all the items listed.

You might buy something from the list or donate straight to the fund via paypal link provided through this blog post. This young 30 year old single Mom had just restored her Slidell, Louisiana home after it was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. She had just graduated from college and was rebuilding her jewelry business. The Etsy Community will miss Dawn greatly and we encourage Etsians to help her sons.

Search results (tags) for: "fundraising"

Crafting a Cure: Breast Cancer Awareness on Etsy

Fundraising for Dawn's Boys