Update 1/10/07: Dan Heath co-author with his brother Chip of the incredible book Made to Stick says of Buttons of Hope, "the concept is a great way of making causes concrete (and emotional) -- it strikes me as a great way to help people make their causes stick."
I bought a bike, which led to a cancer benefit ride 24 Hours of Booty which led to a starting a bike team MojoRiding which led to each rider on the team wearing a photo button during an ms150 Bike Tour which led to raising over $120,000 for charity, which led to a new company Buttons of Hope which resulted in this blog makehope! (breathe) All in less than 24 months!
My aha moment came when I saw all those names on the backs of riders and walkers. Don't get me wrong seeing all those in memory ofs, in honor ofs and in support ofs is a pretty awe inspiring sight! But it also made me think how powerful, what an impact it would be if we could see the faces of all those people....all those stories! Faces make messages that Stick!
So I made some photo buttons for my own events and for others to support Strides for Change, leukemia & lymphoma Society, Habitat for Humanity and the ms150 Bike Tour. Together we started putting a face on fundraising --and it is making a difference! Now that I have the Buttons of Hope website up -- people can go online, upload a photo, add text and make their own button to wear! Its easy to make a single button if they wish or 100. But it's not just about the button it's about the powerful story behind each button, behind each face!
Before dedicating my 24 Hour cancer ride I had to call my cousin Dale who was battling cancer to ask for his blessing and a picture for the button -- I had not talked to Dale in 15 years. Dale died four months after the ride -- I am eternally grateful that we had that conversation and reconnected, all because of a bike ride and a button!
I think there are a lot of Dale's out there who would be honored to have people walk or ride on their behalf and a whole bunch of people ready and motivated to tell their stories! My dream is that by putting a face on fundraising we can help make active charity events more rewarding, powerful and ultimately help people raise more money for their cause, but more importantly for their Dale!
Together we might even change the world....one sticky button at a time!
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