Pink Hands for Focused on a Cure!

Our good friend and 2010 Focused on a Cure survivor Renda Welch, sent Karen a magazine article a few weeks ago. The image in the article showed  all of the employees of a dental office with pink hands. Renda wanted to have all of her staff do a similar portrait to promote her dental office and breast cancer awareness!

Renda and her staff came to the studio on June 1st to display their pink hands, breast cancer ribbons and of course have tons of fun with Karen.

Here are some of our favorite images from their session!

Of course Karen had to get in on the fun!!

Renda is working extremely hard on sponsorships for this year’s Piggin Out for Pink event. She has already raised over $1,000!!! We want to thank her and her staff for all of their hard work. Thank you ladies for supporting Focused on a Cure!!

Make sure to stop by Dr. Welch’s office where our 2010 FOC survivor exhibit is currently displayed.

Cabarrus County Relay 2011

Relay for Life in Cabarrus County was May 14-15 at J.M. Robinson High School. This year Focused on a Cure decided to partner with our friends at Logan’s Roadhouse to help raise money for relay. We had three tents and were surrounded by our survivor exhibit.

All of the Logan’s and FOC crew were excited to be apart of Relay. Logan’s sold cheeseburgers, hamburgers, chicken sandwiches and drinks. FOC had our T-shirts, purses, jewelry and Piggin Out for Pink tickets for sale. We were also selling raffle tickets for a $250 IP gift card and FOC basket of goodies.

This year's theme was Celebrate Another Birthday. Everyone's tents were decorated with birthday streamers, cakes, cupcakes, and party decor. We were all thankful to be celebrating another year of life for our cancer survivors.

Despite the morning rain, everyone was wet but enjoying raising money for Relay.

We had the opportunity to see some of our survivors in our FOC exhibit from years past. We love them all and always enjoy seeing them. Jennifer Powell, who works at Logan’s, was the keynote speaker for Relay this year. It was nice to see Jenn and celebrate her survivorship.

Relay also gave us the chance to meet other survivors and even recruit a few to be a part of our 2010 and future exhibits!

This year’s relay was cut short due to the bad storms in the area. We had a great time at Relay and really appreciated the efforts of our friends at Logan’s for helping us with our tent. We cannot wait to announce the total amount raised at Relay. To see all of the candids from this year’s relay please visit http://www.facebook.com/#%21/focusedonacure.

Kannapolis Photographer photographs new Facebook images for a Good Cause

This past Sunday we held a Facebook Party here at the IP Studio. The weather was warm and beautiful, the perfect day for a party.

Seventeen ladies joined us to celebrate and enjoyed a relaxing Sunday afternoon. Each lady was treated with an IP gift card for a free one hour session and goodies from Gary at Plain or Fancy catering. His ham sandwiches and chocolate chip cookies are the best!

While everyone waited on hair and make-up provided by our friends Jesse and Courtney at CC & CO Salon and Spa. They were greeted by our vendors: The Bra Lady, Made to Match, Amy Bost 31 and Premiere Jewelry.

Everyone shopped, chatted, and had their nails painted hot pink by IP’s very own Sarah Hubbard!! Then it was time for Karen to work her magic!! Karen photographed new facebook profile images for everyone. We wanted to share some of our favorite images with you!!

Alyssa relaxes for her new facebook image! Look at those amazing blue eyes.

Whitney came out to support our Facebook Party. Whitney was our 13-17 recepient of a modeling contract from Carolina's Next Top Model. She is so beautiful

Tammy looked goregous in our blossming flower garden.

Susanne shared a fun afternoon with her granddaughter, Alyssa. What a cute image!

April looked stunning in Karen's red chair!

Of course Karen had to have a new facebook image of her own!

We will post our favorite image of each lady on our facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/IPbyKG. All the images from Sunday will be posted on Friday, April 22nd. We want to thank everyone who participated in our Facebook Party. We raised $700 for Focused on a Cure!! That is one step closer to our goal of $30,000!! Make sure to like Focused on a Cure on facebook to keep up with our upcoming events!!

Focused on a Cure: 1st annual Survivior Christmas Portrait

On Saturday November 20th, Focused on Cure survivors gathered for our 1st annual Survivor Christmas Portrait.

Karen had the wonderful idea of gathering our survivors together for an annual Christmas portrait. This is a great way to reflect on the year gone by and celebrate another year as a breast cancer survivor.

The laughter at this session was contagious. It is amazing how all survivors can relate to one another and come together as friends due to a common cause.

13 survivors gathered in downtown Kannapolis behind the Gem theater for this fun location session. Linda Vaughn was gracious enough to bring her Pink Rambler and let us utilize the car for some very fun images.

Never a dull moment with Karen and her crew, we did have to drag out umbrellas and other objects to retrieve Misty’s phone that was dropped down a gutter, but with the fantastic efforts of Megan, it was retrieved.


All of our survivors wore Pink Santa hats and various shades of pink attire. They were photographed around the Pink Rambler as well as on the stairwell.
Below are some of our favorite images from the session:

 

Thelma and Louise!

 

 

We are so excited to make this an annual tradition. We look forward to our 2011 Christmas portrait with new survivors and old friends!

Focused on a Cure: Pumpkin Portraits Fundraiser

On Friday October 29th, we kicked off our 2011 fundraising with Pumpkin portraits. For a $20 donation, the participants received a 5x7 portrait.

Twenty three families came out to support our Pumpkin portrait fundraiser. We had a hula girl, Buzz Lightyear, a pirate, a lion and even a strawberry. We had a traditional pumpkin set with pumpkins and hay bells. Our second set was a darker set with a white door, a lamp and an old chair.

Everyone who gave a donation was entered in to win a $150 IP gift card. Amy Eury was our lucky winner. Amy supported Focused on a Cure with her two boxers Emma Grace and Bentley.

 

 

We raised a total of $800 for Focused on a Cure! We want to extend a huge Thank You to everyone who came out and supported our first fundraiser of 2011. We are very excited for 2011. Focused on a Cure is thrilled about our upcoming events and our fundraising efforts to find a cure in 2011. $800 is just the start. Stay tuned to http://www.irresistibleportraits.com/ and Facebook for our upcoming events.

For more information on Focused on a Cure please visit http://www.irresistibleportraits.com/, or become our fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/focusedonacure.

Focused on a Cure: Hope Lodge

It’s the time of year when we reflect on all the things we are thankful for. At the American Cancer Society, we’re thankful for Relay For Life participants like you who help us save lives and fight back against cancer!




Did you know your Relay efforts help cancer patients get well? Hope Lodge is one of many free American Cancer Society programs. Located near treatment centers, they provide a home away from home for patients and families going through cancer treatment.



Air Force veteran Bill Gregory was diagnosed with cancer in 2006, and discovered he needed Hope Lodge. “Doctors told me I could stay at the Hope Lodge for free while I was being treated, which was just miraculous since I had no money to pay for a hotel room,” Bill said. “I was kind of waffling on my desire to live through it when I found out about Hope Lodge. It removed a big excuse I had for giving up.” Bill is cancer-free today, but he still makes regular visits to Hope Lodge to help and encourage guests.



Hope Lodges supported by your Relay For Life provided more than 34,000 free lodging nights to people like Bill last year.



Thank you for saving lives and keep fighting back!



SOURCE: American Cancer Society

Focused on a Cure: Breast Cancer Myths and Truths

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month:

Do you know the truth about breast cancer?

Myths and Truths about Breast Cancer and Mammograms

MYTH: No one in my family has ever had breast cancer, so I don’t really need to be concerned.

TRUTH: Your risk is greater if a close relative has had breast cancer – but as many as 80 percent of breast cancers are diagnosed in women who do not have a family history of the disease.


MYTH: If I’m going to get breast cancer, there’s nothing I can do about it.

TRUTH: Yes, there are things you can do. While we still don’t how to prevent breast cancer, we do know that early detection can improve a woman’s chances of beating this disease. A mammogram can find a tumor much earlier than you or your doctor can feel it. When breast cancer is found early, while it is small and before it has spread, the chance of successful treatment is highest. Early detection also means that a woman’s chances for saving her breast are better because doctors may be able to remove the tumor and only a small area of nearby tissue. You can also take steps to reduce your risk of the disease, including maintaining a healthy weight, eating well, getting plenty of exercise, and limiting alcohol intake.


MYTH: These tests cost a lot, and I can’t afford a mammogram.

TRUTH: Medicare, Medicaid, and almost all insurance companies cover mammograms. Some low-cost mammogram programs are also available. These are often promoted during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, every October. Some doctors, hospitals, or clinics may also lower their fees for women who cannot afford the usual charge. Also, the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program provides free or low-cost screening and follow-up treatment for low-income, uninsured, and underinsured women, with a high priority on reaching racial and ethnic minority women. Contact the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345 to learn more about special low-cost programs in your community.



MYTH: Since mammograms are x-rays, the radiation could be dangerous.

TRUTH: In the past 20 years, both the equipment and how mammograms are done have greatly improved. Today, the level of radiation is very low and does not significantly raise a woman's risk of breast cancer.



MYTH: I heard mammograms hurt and can be embarrassing.

TRUTH: When you get a mammogram, you stand beside the machine and a specially trained technologist helps place your breast on a metal plate. A second plate made of plastic is placed on top, and for a few seconds, the top plate is pushed down and flattens the breast to get a good, clear picture. The technologist usually takes two pictures of each breast. Many women may feel some discomfort, but it is for a very short time. To reduce discomfort, try to avoid scheduling your mammogram during the week before or during your period, when your breasts are most tender. Tell the technologist if you have any pain.


MYTH: If I get a mammogram, I’m going to find breast cancer.

TRUTH: Only two to four mammograms out of every 1,000 will lead to a cancer diagnosis. Only about 10 percent of women need more tests. If a suspicious area is found, your doctor will order more tests. Another mammogram may be done, focusing more pictures on the area of concern. The doctor may also use a thin needle to remove fluid or a small amount of tissue from the suspicious area. This test is called a biopsy and it is the only way to know for sure whether or not the changes are caused by cancer. A specialist called a pathologist looks at the sample under a microscope. But even if you are told you need a biopsy, remember that more than 80 percent of lumps or suspicious areas will not be cancer.


MYTH: I’ve lived this long without getting breast cancer. Why should I bother with a mammogram?

TRUTH: Your risk of developing breast cancer increases as you get older. More than two out of every three breast cancers diagnosed each year occur in women older than 55. Even if you've been through menopause, you still need a mammogram.


SOURCE: American Cancer Society     www.Cancer.org  

For more information on how you can help create a world with less breast cancer and more birthdays, please call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.You can also join your local Relay For Life at www.RelayForLife.org/Cabarrus .


Focused on a Cure will be participating in the 2011 Cabarrus County Relay for Life.

Focused on a Cure: Logan's PINK OUT

Last night Karen and the girls from the studio had a girl’s night out at Logan’s Steakhouse in Kannapolis, celebrating Logan’s Steakhouse PINK OUT. Our friend and 2010 Focused on a Cure survivor Jen Powell hosted the event.

The Focused on a Cure exhibit was displayed on the Logan’s fireplace upon entrance to the restaurant. All of Logan’s wait staff was wearing pink t-shirts to support Breast Cancer awareness. 10% of all sales at Logan’s yesterday were donated to the American Cancer Society in honor of Breast Cancer awareness month.

Along with the 10% sales donation, Logan’s also had a car wash on Saturday October 23rd and a bake sale throughout the weekend. Volunteers gave out Breast Cancer information sheets and bracelets engraved with messages of strength and hope.

Eighteen Logan’s Steakhouses in North Carolina Participated in the PINK OUT program, as of last night Logan’s had raise $120,000 in support of Breast Cancer. Totals were still coming in from last night’s event as well as t-shirt and merchandise sales.

 

Congratulations to Jen Powell and the entire Logan’s Franchise for supporting such a wonderful cause.

Focused on a Cure: Northwest Cabarrus Middle School

Friday, October 22nd, we attended the Northwest Cabarrus Middle School Walk for Breast Cancer. Jane Jacobs, an 8th grade teacher at Northwest Cabarrus Middle School organized the event. Jane is also one of our 2008 Focused on a Cure Survivors.

Students paid $5 to get out of class for the afternoon and walk the track in honor of Breast Cancer. There were activities on the track, such as face painting and crafts. A Pink Cadillac was on the track for students to have their portraits taken around. Students had in memory of signs pinned to their shirts in honor of family members lost to Breast Cancer. Student wore all forms and fashions of pink. Pink sparkly sunglasses, pink soccer socks, one student had a homemade t-shirt from mom!

Mrs. Jacob’s class made their own t-shirt in support of the event. Our Focused on a Cure display was on the track for students to read and admire. Several students stopped to read the metals. One student stopped to tell us that her mom, aunt and grandmother all suffered with breast cancer. She had a pink cast with a pink ribbon to honor the event.

The Walk for Breast Cancer has already raised $4,000 with some sales still coming in.

Congratulations to Mrs. Jacobs and the students of Northwest Cabarrus Middle School for all of their efforts to raise Breast Cancer Awareness. Way to Go Guys!

To view more images from this event please visit http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=240378&id=113741630727&page=5

Focused on a Cure: Pink Pearls

Last Night we attended the Pink Pearls event held at Concord Vintage Motor Company. The 2010 Focused on a Cure Exhibit was displayed right when everyone walked in the door. People were enjoying the exhibit when entering the event.

Special guest Molly Grantham from WBTV News was the guest MC for the event. Molly has personally been touched by breast cancer in her family. Her mother is a breast cancer survivor, her grandmother was a breast cancer survivor and her great grandmother passed away with breast cancer. Molly did a wonderful job hosting this event.

Models strutted on the runway in fashions by Brooks Brothers, Cache, Coldwater Creek, Doncaster, Kids CO-OP, and Neta’s.

This year’s event was the 30th anniversary of the Healing Threads Fashion show. Neta’s has been supplying clothes for all 30 years of the fashion show. This year was extra special because Neta herself modeled in the show. It was also the first time in Neta’s life that she had ever worn pants. Neta is a typical southern bell wearing dresses all her life!

There were two special models in the show to Focused on a Cure. Sabrena Thomas and Lou Hamilton were both models this year. Both ladies are both breast cancer survivors and part of Cabarrus Health Alliances Sisters in Partnership.

Over the thirty years of the Pink Pearls Fashion show Northeast Foundation has raised over 5.75 million dollars contributed to Breast Cancer awareness and research. This year’s event through sponsorship, donations and ticket sales raised $65,500.

We would like to thank Northeast Foundation for their support of Focused on a Cure as well as say thank you to them for all they do for Breast Cancer awareness.

Way to Go Guys!!      

http://www2.independenttribune.com/news/2010/sep/26/fashion-show-benefit-northeast-foundation-ar-420207/

To learn more about Northeast Foundation please visit their website at http://www.cmc-northeast.org/

Focused on a Cure: Ride for Cancer 2010

We received a sincere thank you card today from Tina Cull. She, as one of the Ladies of Harley, helped to organize the "Ride for Cancer" event at Pat Rogers Speedway Harley Davidson in Concord last weekend. The Ladies of Harley raised a total of $3,000 in one day! Way to go ladies.

Jessica,

Just a quick note to thank you and IP for your support and generosity! You helped our event be successful and fight this horrible disease. Thanks for all you do!

Tina Cull

Thanks for the sweet card, Tina! I enjoyed being a part of your event. I hope that next year I can be on a BIKE too! -Jessica

Tina's card was written on a stationary by Awareness Experts, Inc. 10% of the net proceeds are donated to breast cancer research! Every little thought counts!

Focused on a Cure: This Friday - Piggin' Out for Pink

This Friday is our 2nd annual Piggin' Out for Pink! As you recall, our first annual event in August 2009 was a huge success and we raised a total of $10,000. This year we've raised our goal to $15,000. We have various recipients in mind for the donations, such as the Cabarrus Health Alliance, The Pink House, Carolina Breast Friends, and others that promote mammograms and cancer awareness. These organizations are currently applying for our grants and will be judged by a panel to determine who will receive what grants.


This year’s Piggin’ Out for Pink will be in Cannon Village on Friday, August 6th at 6pm. Emily Riera and her mother, both breast cancer survivors, will share with us their experience of genetic testing. Donna Rowland will share with us that it's never too late for a mammogram. Her mother and aunt are living proof! Along with spoken memoirs by survivors, BBQ dinner by Punchy's Diner, and a documentary film by KA Studios, you’ll be entertained by “The Band of Oz.” You'll be the first to see our 2010 Focused on a Cure survivor exhibit. We have 15 new survivor stories to share with you that will travel through community in the next year. This private event offers you a chance to meet many cancer survivors, share their stories, and mingle with others who are as passionate about this cause as you are.

We will have raffle tickets for sale. We'll be raffling off some incredible baskets of gifts and specialty items that have been donated by local businesses. In addition to the raffles, we will have a silent auction for you to bid for sports memorabilia, jewelry, etc. And last, but not least, we're having a live auction this year. You could win a trip, a $500 gift card to Irresistible Portraits, a gorgeous painting by John Williams, and a few other valuable items.

Individual tickets to the Piggin’ Out for Pink event are $50 once again. We also have sponsorships available through businesses, which include multiple tickets to the event at certain sponsorship levels. For more info on these sponsorships, contact Renda at 704.933.5600 or renda@irresistibleportraits.com.

Take the time to look through some images from last year's event on our facebook fan page by clicking here or view the video on our youTube page.

To purchase tickets to the event, stop by Irresistible Portraits at 1418 South Main Street, Kannapolis, NC 28081. We can accept cash, checks to Focused on a Cure, and credit cards through PayPal. For more info, please call us at 704.933.5600.

We hope to see each and every one of you there! Thank you for your continued support!

Focused on a Cure: Relay for Life Cabarrus County 2010

Relay for Life in Cabarrus County was May 15th -16th. Cabarrus County was rawled up and raising money! Focused on a Cure had a huge tent that was donated by Tripp Reed of Thermafuse. It was decorated to a tee (of course!) by the one and only Renda Ayscue! We were surrounded in stories and portraits of breast cancer survivors by the renowned Karen Goforth of Irresistible Portraits! It was perfect!

We won "Best Decorated Campsite" as well as "Best Decorated Luminary!"

We had the opportunity to spend quality time with some of the survivors featured in Focused on a Cure's exhibit. They are dear to our heart and we're so glad they could be a part of Relay this year!

Relay also gave us the chance to meet other survivors and even recruit a few to be a part of our 2010 and future exhibits!

Our on-site fundraiser was $5 facebook profile pics by Irresistible Portraits! Here's a few of our favorites...

We had a blast and couldn't have asked for a better turnout! We sold tons of t-shirts, magnetic pink ribbon jewelry (by Melissa Mattox), purses, and facebook profile pics! To see all the candids AND facebook profile pics from our 2010 Relay for Life, go to our facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/focusedonacure!

We're looking forward to the wrap up celebration where they will announce how much Cabarrus County's final amount raised was! We'll keep you posted...

Focused on a Cure: IP's Cutest Kid Contest

Irresistible Portraits hosted their first IP's Cutest Kid Contest in April! They had two days of drop in FREE sessions in mid April, then invited the parents back in to pick their favorite which would be uploaded to the online voting contest. IP had 30+ families show up during those two days.

From April 21st to April 28th, the children and families were supposed to promote voting as much as they could and see how many votes they could earn. One vote equalled one dollar. IP set their goal at $10,000 in votes!

During the week, the parents shared their creative fundraising ideas with us - from lemonade stands and yard sales to auctioning off their relatives for dates!! Needless to say, IP met their goal and a little more! The grand total on the evening of April 28th was $10,175 for Focused on a Cure!!

The following are winners...

Jackson Parsons - IP's Cutest Baby

Katie Westmoreland - IP's Cutest Tot

Caroline Jeter - IP's Cutest Tween

Bryana Hott - IP's Cutest Pre-Teen

Jackson Parsons raised the most money totaling to $1303, therefore he is IP's Cutest Kid for 2010! Check out this image with his collection bucket that him and his sister carried while walking the neighborhood collecting from door to door!

We asked Lauren (Jackson's mom) to share her fundraising story with us...

The Focused on a Cure foundation hits home for our family being that Jackson's Nana is a 15 year breast cancer survivor. So when IP's Cutest Kid Contest came across my facebook events with all proceeds going to FOC, we were determined to raise as much money as we could. Who knew dressing a little boy in pink and sending him door to door could raise so much money. We set our goal at $1,000 and started raising money.

With the help of his big sister McKinlee, Jackson raised over $100 in our neighborhood asking people to donate money for "breath cancer." People were melting in their hands as they stood there with their bucket and sign. We also set up buckets at his pre-school, consigned clothes, sold our couch, took a class field trip to the fire station, raffled a Mary Kay basket, and asked just about everyone that walked past us.

Friends and family all over the US sent donations through the mail and online. It was amazing to see how supportive everyone we spoke with was. We are very grateful to have such wonderful family and friends. I am so proud of Jackson for being such a good sport, wearing so much pink, and being so excited everytime someone else gave him money. I am also thankful that this contest allowed me to teach my children about donating and giving back.

Thanks you to the IP family for starting this foundation and thank you to our wonderful family, friends, and everyone that helped us exceed our goal and raise $1,303 for Focused on a Cure.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

God Bless,

Lauren Dorsey Parsons

Check out some images from Jackson's Cutest Kid session on IP's facebook fan page - www.facebook.com/IPbyKG.