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Seeing PINK...Promotional Presence Idea!

Yesterday morning bright and early, my friend Mary and I ran in a 5K cancer fund-raiser -- Race for the Cure (Susan G. Komen). Pictured are the both of us recovering--post race. My friend is training for a 15 mile race (25K) in May so I decided to support her training by running along with her. Though I am no longer a regular runner, I figured the 3.1 miles would not be too difficult. I did it! Afterward, in my post-race delirium, I staggered around, praying that I was not going to look like a wimp and throw up. (Serious...lol!)

Nearly $1 million dollars were raised in our little area...which is pretty darn great! Over 6,000 runners and walkers participated. Pink ribbons, pink t-shirts, pink shoe laces, pink 'Hope' bracelets....you name it--PINK everywhere! Everyone smiled and greeted one another in a 'knowing' sort of style...one which made for a wonderful deep feeling of connection with one another. We all were there for a cause. Most of us have been touched in various ways by the disease of cancer and today's vibe at the race felt like a deep-bonding sort of morning. It felt special.

Home Stagers are a very generous group of people. All of us have talents which can contribute a lot of 'give' towards a local charity or two. As we continue to grow as a profession, I am a HUGE believer that the more we 'give', the more the Universe sees fit to give back towards each one of us!

Perhaps over the next year, we all might consider additional ideas of how we too might increase our charitable contributions within our individual communities. I am sure many of you have considered it yet not found the time to actually follow-through. For me, I have thought about it; though not made a more proactive move towards the next step myself. Find a cause which you feel strongly about and decide to participate in some way.

Booths were set up post-race by many local businesses....even Ford was there handing out the pink 'Warrior' scarf/bandana you see wrapped around my neck. People signed up for give-a-ways at nearly all booths and I thought having a booth might be a great idea to consider for Home Stagers. It would be an opportunity to support a cause...meet lots of people and increase your Profile in your local community.

Though it is a different venue than a typical Home Show, the crowd had a particular sense of loyalty to those companies who were there to support Breast Cancer. It would be a lot of fun and a great opportunity to create 'buzz'. I definitely took notice of the businesses which were present at the Race. Somehow, their loyalty to a cause important to me endeared their brand in my mind in a very personal way. Just a thought....perhaps a Fund-raiser road-race might be a great venue to think 'out of the box' and promote your Home Staging business!

Please Remember: THE MORE WE GIVE, the greater the Laws of Abundance will reward us!

STAGE IT FORWARD

Warm Regards-

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Kathleen Garvey of Enhanced Interiors & Home Staging, Florida -- Offering Real Estate Staging services to the following areas: Naples. Fort Myers, Bonita Springs, Estero. Sanibel Island, Punta Gorda, North Fort Myers, FL. (239) 849-6009

Posted by Kathleen Garvey - Stager Idol - Florida Home Staging in Naples Ft. Myers on 03/16/2008 10:08 AM

Comments (23)

cancer awareness, marketing ideas, staging booth venues, fundraising, promotional ideas, community involvement

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23 Comments on Seeing PINK...Promotional Presence Idea!

MAR

2008

BTW- I am not really that short! My friend Mary is almost 5'10'!! : )

Kathleen, Congratulations on this milestone, and thanks for the great idea to help local charities. Like you I believe that it all comes back with dividends! (btw that's a terrific "after" photo -- I thought it was the "before!")

Hey Maureen! It was a very special day...and though so many people are always thinking about how to market their businesses and increase exposure, it is important to remember to give back.

When I lived in Sarasota, one couple had purchased a B& J ice cream store franchise. They were present at nearly every big fund-raising event and were such a great example of giving to the community. What a high profile presence! I was always impressed by their willingness to participate on the local level.....PLUS, they were new to the area as well! As a profession, we can offer a lot....and as individual businesses, all of us can increase our 'give' in valuable ways!

Thanks for commenting! RE-the after photo...ha,ha....yes, a little sweaty and today I am a bit sore in my legs for sure! My friend runs regularly and all I usually do is practice yoga and do a few spin classes. Definitely different muscle groups! Running the race was fun...and there were lots of kids running too! (Names of their moms on their shirts....etc.) This is a great idea to consider for Home Staging marketing....the exposure would be incredible! Regards-Kathleen G

OMG Kathleen I think you look great in your after the race photo. Congratulations on the accomplish and I totally agree about giving back.

Hi Ginger! Thanks for commenting. The idea for the blog was to suggest that Home Stagers consider new ways and venues to market their services. By giving to your community via working with a cause you feel connected to, I think it is a wonderful opportunity to increase your exposure and 'pay it forward'. I would love to hear of anyone out there is doing something in this area! Regards-Kathleen G

Kathleen, hear that echo? After photo? You are, of course, kidding!

You are so right about the concept of giving back to the community and to our fellow travelers. It works for the bad the other way too. My hairdresser who is a big giver and is always finding ways to give back to the community recently asked a local business to donate 5 pizzas for a fund raising activity for our youth. The restaurant owner declared that he didn't need to do *stuff* like that because he was doing fine. Maybe. Gosh, I haven't wanted a pizza in months. I'm not the only one who knows about this bad behavior.

Hi Yvonne! I think lots of people believe that they do not need to do this kind of stuff. This is not to say we all do not support various clubs, kids' fund-raisers etc....however, this thought is about moving in a much bigger and broader direction to increase a Home Stager's company profile. Sometimes thinking outside of the box brings greater rewards than expected and I am always trying to think of new ways to bring abundance into my Life and Business.

Like you mentioned, some folks just are not of the mind that they need to give. You have to want to give...and do so because it is helping in ways beyond one's little circle of Life. Hopefully, a few of the people who stopped by to read this blog will give the idea more thought. I like to try and put thoughts out there...and even if a comment is not made at this moment, perhaps, the action will follow anyway! Thanks! Regards-Kathleen G

Kathleen, currently I am working with a MOPS group (mothers of preschoolers) by giving 2 members a free redesign consultation and one member a complete design change in her great room. Also, I'm trying to help the ladies in a community group redesign areas of the community center. These are not BIG charities but my efforts with the biggies haven't gotten me very far so I've decided that it's best to stay local at this time. My affiliation, IRIS, has a dedicated charity, the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition, and I've had articles done and advertising about doing a free haven for a ovarian cancer survivor, but no takers. I'm always open to making that happen.

This is a great idea, Kathleen! Thanks for inspiring us!

Kathy

Hi Ginger-- Wonderful that you are working with a MOPS group! Fantastic! I also like that you are helping with efforts regarding the community center!

Many national affiliations give to dedicated charities. That is fine but like you mentioned, it may not always filter down to your local level. This is about YOUR business reputation, not where you trained. I tend to believe that your efforts should reflect on YOUR BUSINESS specifically, not someone else's business. Our personal businesses can adopt any charity we desire....regardless of various training school causes.

The idea of being active in one's own community and for local causes are ones what I personally prefer. Individual cities where we each live have specific groups which provide for that local area. There are a few Florida ideas I have which I will share later this Spring via my Blogs! I have read sprinklings and sparks of ideas coming along here at Active Rain. It is important to share what we all do because I believe it inspires others to try as well!

In the meantime, I would encourage everyone to 'Stage it Forward' in the community where you work and play. Many of the most active Realtors are leaders in their communities as well....and getting our businesses involved is something which rests in the Home Stagers hands.

Thanks Ginger--Great to hear that you are involved and open to thinking of ways to 'give' by way of your reputation from: Dream Interior Redesign & Staging. Take credit for your giving work! Regards-Kathleen G

Congrats on finishing and contributing to such a great cause Kathleen - you look like you're in great shape too!

Hi Kathy R! You are welcome! I felt so inspired yesterday that I had to share my thoughts. I do think it is great to hear what others may be doing or even considering in their communities. It does not have to be a gigantic, national cause....it may be something simple that one Stager may do for their area and it might be perfect for another Stager to try in theirs! You never know!

Hello Karen! Yes, I keep in pretty decent shape....though still felt light-headed after the race! 3.1 miles of running is not too much to do..and the cause is so worthwhile. There was something really inspirational as well about noticing which businesses were involved. With over 10,000 people in attendance, it was a great crowd and seemed like a great opportunity for increasing a business profile in a community!

Thanks for commenting ladies! Regards-Kathleen G

Kathleen, you are so correct about giving back- giving back is always part of our business plan for each new year! Congrats on completing the race!

Kathleen, Congratulations, You did great!! 3.1 miles? Only in my dreams. (Okay, Not even in my dreams)

Congratulations Kathleen. Thank you for giving of yourself for a wonderful cause.

Hey Marci! How fabulous of you and Tanya to incorporate 'giving back' as part of your annual business plan! There are so many ways which we can give of our talents and time. That is really inspiring to hear! We will look forward to hearing what great plans you have for 2008!

Hello Leslie! Running a little short race like 3.1 miles is not as bad as you would think. I can't say that my SPEED was that of my youth....apparently being in my 40s seems to have caught up with me! LOL...Gone are the days of my less than 6-minute mile!! Hope the blog inspired you to think about great ways you can give back to a cause in your area of Asheville! Thanks for checking in!

Hi Jacqueline! Yes...the Race for the Cure is really an amazing cause. Thankfully, there have been great advances in Breast Cancer research and early detection testing for women. The two main risk factors are: Being Female and Getting Older. Events such as a simple race can inspire many! Thank you for commenting!

Finding a charitable cause for every business owner is something which I feel is important. There may be more than one cause we feel compelled to support so I encourage everyone to give some deeper thought regarding important causes your business might want to GIVE towards. Regards-Kathleen G

Good for you, I plan on running in one coming up very soon, just to get my feet wet.

You did it, Kathleen!

What an inspiration!

I have been training with a girlfriend at the Y on the dreadmill and elliptikiller now for 6 months to run a 5K next month- I will blog ours when we finish, too! I am proud of y'all!

~Leslie

MAR

2008

Here on Active Rain, we do not know every person's personal challenges or experiences. I have no doubt that many of us here have had to handle serious medical or other issues in our lives...in one form or another. Keep these thoughts of fellow Rainers in mind...you never who your efforts might help!

Hi Cindy! You will do just fine! It has been nearly 20 years since I had run in a 5K (ran my first one 4 weeks ago)....and I had forgotten how fun it was to run with lots of people and enjoy the early morning! If you have the chance to do the Breast Cancer race....Do it...even if you choose the Walk-run. The atmosphere was definitely different than most other 5K runs. It totally focused me on making sure I develop a plan for my business and giving back! Good for you that you are already in the loop with GIVING! : )

Hello Leslie! LOL....I had never heard the treadmill called the 'dreadmill'....that was funny! You will do great running your 5K! The treadmill is different than actual running on the street though....the ground will not 'move' for you as it does on a treadmill! Good for cardio....not so good when you realize your stength alone has to move your body forward! : ) Good Luck and I hope this blog inspires you and your husband to incorporate giving in your area towards an important cause! Thanks for commenting!

Regards-Kathleen

Hello Kathleen, you and Mary look like your just getting ready to start the race. If I had ran 5K the photo would be of me laying on the ground calling for a nurse. Race for the cure is a very large yearly event here in Indy and well worth the support of everyone. As I recall the finish to the race here ends at the start/finish line of the Indy 500.

Hey Gary! No...this was post-race for sure! The weather was amazing for us...65-degrees and very low humidity! Usually it is rather sticky in March and we must've had a mini-cool front blow through.

I am not sure what people think we should look like after running a short 3.1 miles....ha,ha! I look far worse after an hour of spinning class! My fair Irish-Austrian skin gets rather pink! I definitely had to focus on calming my stomach down when I ran across the finish line though...the workers were grabbing the timer anklet off my leg...as I was praying so hard not to get sick. I think that faster-paced, final half-mile push sent me over the edge. Thankfully, it all ended well...thankfully for the helpers that is! The finish line at the Indy 500 would be a total rush...wave that checkered flag! : ) Regards-Kathleen G

Actually,

Our 13 year old coined the word "dreadmill". She is too funny!

Mark and I volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. We build homes for people, who, unlike us, are able to afford a home for themselves. We have met so many loving, kind and concerned folk within this ministry!

I wonder if there is a HfH 5K run? Hmmmm... I guess I could have people sponsor me and donate the proceeds?

Got me thinkin'....

~Leslie

Hi Leslie- Looking into fund-raiser runs like Race for the Cure or Habitat for Humanity are super ways to have a 'team'. Pay-pal makes it easy to support and the more organized runs have quite the system in place to collect $$! I supported a friend on the Breast Run a few years ago....it was easy to donate and then cheer her on to do the running! LOL

Volunteering is a great way to show your business support in the community. T-shirts with your company colors and logo are also a fantastic way to market your presence at these types of events. Good Work! Regards-Kathleen G

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