When Loss Brings Gain

Thank you to Vanessa Maddox, Founder of TheGirlfriendGroup for sharing how the loss of her beloved sister turned into something that she never imagined. The memory of her sister is still alive through the wonderful women in TheGirlFriendGroup, be sure to check in with them...here is her inspirational story....

On June 12, 2009 I experienced a tremendous loss.

My eldest sister Valerie passed away suddenly. I realize that people lose relatives everyday, but the difference here is that we didn’t know Val was sick. We later found out that she passed away from heart disease exacerbated by her asthma.

Val was a teacher of children. She taught for 33 years and loved every minute of it. She was also a single parent to a child with multiple learning disabilities. She raised her daughter, my niece to age 30. Her girlfriends were a huge part of that. They were her friends, her support system, her counselors and her confidantes.

Growing up with Val as an older sister was great. She taught me a lot. A lot about life, a lot about friends, a lot about being a thoughtful, caring person. She taught me a lot of the importance of Girlfriends in a woman’s life.

That brings us to the gain.

After my two-month depression, I called my cousin Naomi and told her I wanted to pay tribute to Val in some way. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, but God brought it to me on August 22, 2009. TheGirlfriendGroup.

TheGirlfriendGroup is a global, online community for women. Our focus is the total woman from all walks of life. We host events, we mentor young women, we hold networking opportunities and we will be launching The Girlfriend Education Series in Q1 of 2011. There are no barriers to entry. The only requirement is that you’re a woman that is willing to network with other women, share information and encourage one another. Network. Share. Encourage is our motto.

The group was started on my family room sectional for less than $100. Less than a year later we went from the original 15 members to over 235 members; all organic growth, no budget, no fancy social media strategy. Just inspiration and determination. If you look for the good in everything and are open to taking new paths that may appear, anything in life is possible.

The most wonderful part of TGG is that Val’s influence and spirit exists in every facet of the group. The TTG is very much dedicated to the many other strong women in my life such as my mom, sisters and Girlfriends. It is their love and support that continue to give me the inspiration and motivation that makes TGG so fabulous!

Where Did the Pink Ribbon Come From?

Breast cancer awareness month has just begun! Throughout the month I will share various information and tidbits about breast cancer. I was always curious as to how the pink ribbon became associated with breast cancer, are you? I thought that was a great place to start so here we go:


In the early 1990s, a 68 year old woman by the name of Charlotte Haley used the same concept when her daughter, grandma and sister were all diagnosed with breast cancer. To raise awareness, she began making ribbons in the color of peach and attaching them to cards. These cards contained information about the annual budget of the National Cancer Institute and how only a small portion of this budget was being spent on cancer research and prevention. The card urged people to contact their legislators to make a change in this and to wear the ribbons to raise awareness.

In 1991, Evelyn Lauder of the Estee' Lauder Corporation and Alexandra Penney of Self Magazine were putting together a special insert piece for the October edition of Self magazine to recognize breast cancer awareness month. They heard about the peach ribbons and contacted Haley to determine if they could use them. Haley declined claiming it would make the cause commercialized, and that it would lose its grassroots appeal. However, Lauder and Penney really wanted to use the ribbon concept, so they consulted with their legal departments to see what they could do. The legal departments finally agreed they could use the ribbons as long as they changed the color. They chose pink, and the breast cancer awareness pink ribbon concept has grown from there.

So it’s been around for about 20 years and it’s amazing how fast the icon took off and now appears everywhere. I love that the color pink was chosen as I feel it really captures the essence of women. I also love how we as a sisterhood have taken this ribbon to extraordinary lengths to bring about change for women everywhere. While we still have a long way to go to eradicate this disease we have certainly made great strides to save more lives…all thanks to the little pink ribbon….We couldn't help but add a heart to our Celebrate In Pink ribbon...from our heart to yours....



Have fun in October with "Who's Got the Plate"

As you know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I hope many of you know that Celebrate In Pink provides financial support to women who are undergoing breast cancer treatment. We do this by donating between5 – 10% of our sales to organizations who directly give funds to those in need. Thanks to a friend, Katie, who gave me a great idea to promote our unique partyware along with me adding a fundraising slant to it, I am proud to introduce Celebrate In Pink’s “Who’s Got The Plate” Campaign! It’s a fun and exciting campaign that will run from October 1 to October 31. It will feature people from all walks of life; young and old, male and female and from all over the country. They will be sporting the beautiful Celebrate In Pink plate and will share something about themselves and why they Celebrate In Pink. The videos will be featured on YouTube.com/user/CelebrateInPink, Facebook.com/CelebrateInPink, Twitter.com/CelebrateInPink and CelebrateInPink.com.


Here’s the best part! To raise money, Celebrate In Pink will donate $50 each for the top three videos that has the most views on YouTube ending on October 31. The money will be donated to The Tigerlily Foundation in honor of the three winners. This is a fun and unique way to donate to TigerLily simply by winning a contest! We are relying on you to help the partiers get as many views as possible so please see “Who’s Got the Plate” each and every day on YouTube. Help us make the most of this campaign by spreading it virally to your contacts so they too can have fun with it.

If you would like to help raise even more money for Tigerlily, you can do so by sponsoring a top viewer’s choice with a $50 donation. We’ll send you a plate and using your video camera, tell us why you celebrate in pink, send us the clip and we’ll post it. You can enter as many partiers as you’d like. Email us at info@CelebrateInPink.com (subject: Plate Donation) or find us on Facebook.com/CelebrateInPink or YouTube.com/user/CelebrateInPink.

Let’s get this party started by getting to know the Celebrate In Pink partiers!

Take it From Pinky

It’s fall and walk season has picked up again. Participating in breast cancer walks is one of the most inspiring experiences I’ve ever had. I would highly recommend it and encourage everyone to find one in your area. Since I’m a pro, I thought I would share some of my top tips with you:


It’s a good idea to stretch before getting started. It does make a difference in how you feel the rest of the day and the day after. Like mom used to say, “if you don’t do it, you’ll be sorry”, so do this one for mom.

What you wear is important…for comfort and fashion. That said, we do have to keep in mind that a girl has to look good at all times and a girl has to do what a girl has to do to make this happen. Not sure I would recommend heels higher than 2” but your outfit will dictate the height of the heel. Use your fashion sense or ask a friend for hers.

Drink plenty of fluids. I drink lots of water before and during the walk, that way I can drink plenty of my favorite ‘pink drink’ at our celebration lunch after the walk.

Be sure to walk with friends, its way more fun this way. Make it a whole day of celebrating you will be amazed at how you feel (the pink drinks may have something to do with that too ;) Don’t forget the Celebrate In Pink party ware to make your walk day celebrations even more special.

That’s it from Pinky…now get out there and find a walk!

Is Pink the New White at Bridal Showers? We Hope So

This could've been my shower!

I am happy to report that Greg and I have been married for almost 31 years and it is amazing to me how fast the time has gone. As I look back and remember my bridal shower and the majority of showers at that time, they were held at places such as church halls, community, or someone’s home. It was rare to have a shower at a restaurant or destination. We didn’t have as many choices as the brides of today have. For the most part the showers of yesteryear were very plain and simple so the infamous shower games were the hit of the party. Over the years bridal showers have certainly changed but the purpose has remained the same, to celebrate a union and nurture it into infinity.


Over the years, I have noticed that brides have changed and in many instances, the changes are for the best. The brides of today are cause minded and want to use their wedding or life experiences as a way to help others or bring awareness to a cause they are passionate about. One of the unexpected uses of Celebrate In Pink’s collection of party ware has been the many brides who have used it at their showers to make a statement about a cause they are passionate about. They love the design because pink happens to be one of their favorite colors and at the same time, it subtly conveys a great message to everyone at the gathering.

Introducing a cause with a bridal shower is a great way to encourage others to follow in that example. Think about what may be important to the bride and groom and their families. Who has been affected by what is a great place to start or whose lives do they want to touch and improve? Find ways of getting your guests involved in that cause and encourage them to continue that support after they leave the shower.

Our brides have told us that they love turning their showers into a gathering that extends beyond themselves. Many of them have a mother, aunt, cousin, or friend who has been affected by breast cancer in some way and love using our party ware at heir special day to show that support.

We would love to hear from you…did you have a socially responsible bridal shower? What cause did you support and how did you incorporate it? Do you have ideas to share with us regarding cause related showers, let us know! Together, we can make a difference on shower at a time…  

Are You a Cookie Cutter? I'd Get a Second Opinion

You can’t turn on the news without hearing about yet another approach to treating breast cancer and that’s a GOOD thing! It’s great that more and more treatment choices are becoming available. It appears that the medical community is recognizing that we are all different and our breast cancers aren’t cookie cutter. There have been so many changes in approach and treatment since I was diagnosed five years ago that now more than ever a second opinion should be rendered.


Due to the many facets of the breast cancer treatment process, reasons to seek second opinions are vast. To name a few, get a second opinion on your initial biopsy since much for the information revealed about your cancer is the basis for the treatment plan. I had a second opinion from a separate lab on my initial pathology and it revealed a cancer cell not reported on the original report. It happened to be an aggressive type so it was an important oversight. Once you know the cancer types, a treatment plan can be developed.

Since there are different treatment options now available, be sure to seek a second opinion on this too. We are not cookie cutter and our treatments shouldn't be served up as such. This isn’t the time for you to be concerned about offending or hurting your doctor’s feelings. This is all about YOU and what is best for YOU. Since most treatment plans include several modalities (surgery and its many techniques, chemo and its many ways to administer it, radiation and its many ways to administer it not to mention other modalities) the possibilities are endless and you should be sure you have the right mix.

Bottom line, YOU are number one and the most important part of the breast cancer treatment. Become informed and use the professionals to your advantage by forming your team of experts through the power of second opinion.

Share your stories with us to help others get what they need…did you seek a second opinion? Was it worth it? How did you communicate that with your doctor? We want to hear from you…

Find Out How I Sparked & Hustled in Atlanta

I headed to Atlanta for Tory Johnson’s Spark and Hustle Conference last Thursday and returned on Sunday. I then had to fulfill my civic duty by sitting on a jury this week. After all of that, the case ended up being dismissed, what a disappointment. So I am finally getting the chance to let everyone know about how fabulous the conference was!


First and foremost I have to give a big shout out to Tory for being so accessible to all of us and being extremely genuine. She made each of us feel like we had a new sister who really cares about our business success. She shared her personal stories and real experiences along with success strategies that work for her. The lineup of speakers were fabulous and they all blew us away. Everything from sales and marketing, PR, how to make the most of networking events, pricing for profit, social media and how to use it for business, recognizing the importance of multiple revenue streams, showed us how businesses thrive through collaboration and then challenged us to create our own collaborations by lunch, just to name a few. Solid information that could be applied immediately upon returning home was the name of the game.

Shameeka Ayers, The Broke Socialite, shared that she starts her day with MJ Bleige’s Just Fine that rocks her world and sets the tone for the day. Since music is so powerful, she encouraged all of us to have our own theme song. I haven’t found mine yet but as soon as I do, everyone will know it. Elizabeth Chester of Maddy Moo Creations was extremely generous with her time as we brainstormed on how to bring the Celebrate In Pink collection to homes across America. Jennifer Abernethy of the The Sales Lounge  gave a great presentation on how to use social media to reach customers. These are just a few of many spectacular speakers and women who were a part of the conference.

Last and not least, the conference proved to be a wonderful venue to meet new friends. The ladies were very caring and sincerely interested in helping each other. As a side note, I met very friendly ladies from Asheville who helped planned my upcoming vacation to that area. We plan to get together when I get there, how great is that?
In closing, I am thrilled I was able to participate in Spark & Hustle 2010 and look forward to next years. Here are a few of the glimpses into the conference, enjoy the video . Hope to see you at Spark & Hustle 2011!

Yours In Pink,
Kathy