# Wear it pink



## Jon von der Heyden (Oct 22, 2008)

Friday 31st October 2008 is Wear It Pink Day

Our corporate fund raising day is this coming Friday.  Myself and 3 colleagues are dressing in pink bra's (oustide of our usual attire).  We are having our hair dyed pink (apart from Vinny who has to wear a pink turban)!  What have I got myself into 

Anybody else up to any fun and interesting events aimed at breast cancer awareness?


----------



## Richard Schollar (Oct 22, 2008)

Jon von der Heyden said:


> Myself and 3 colleagues are dressing in pink bra's


 
So what are you going to be doing that's actually different from the usuall?


----------



## Mike Blackman (Oct 22, 2008)

Apparently he's growing his moustache and dying it pink too


----------



## Jon von der Heyden (Oct 22, 2008)

```
So what are you going to be doing that's actually different from the usuall?
```

Cheeky!


----------



## mattrx731 (Oct 22, 2008)

I work as a pharmacist in a chemo infusion center here in the US, and we are doing the same thing, only it's every Wednesday in October... Pretty big deal for the patients here.
Today is pumpkin decorating day here also.
I will say that I haven't and don't plan on the bra thing like Jon.


----------



## schielrn (Oct 22, 2008)

I'm running a 5K for Halloween in conjuction this is for Breast Cancer and I will be dressing up as a bottle of ketchup.


----------



## Jon von der Heyden (Oct 22, 2008)

Excellent - good on you chaps 

I'd much rather wear a bra for a day than run 5km dressed as a ketchup bottle!


----------



## TinaP (Oct 22, 2008)

You da man!


----------



## Stormseed (Oct 23, 2008)

> I'd much rather wear a bra for a day than run 5km dressed as a ketchup bottle


 
What is it going to be like ? A bra to fit on 2 hairy breasts ?


----------



## Jon von der Heyden (Oct 23, 2008)

I'll tell you what it's going to be like!  Very embarassing


----------



## Jon von der Heyden (Oct 24, 2008)

Sigh!  Today is the day!  I seem to be the centre of attention.  The moustache didn't work out but I'm tip toeing about in a bra and with pink dyed hair!


----------



## cornflakegirl (Oct 24, 2008)

Photo please!


----------



## Jon von der Heyden (Oct 24, 2008)

Emma - from me to you


----------



## cornflakegirl (Oct 24, 2008)

Very nice!


----------



## Stormseed (Oct 24, 2008)

Jon von der Heyden said:


> Emma - from me to you


 
I can't view the pic  

Hold on...till I go home  

P.S: Jon, are you with this on FB too ?


----------



## riaz (Oct 24, 2008)

In exchange, perhaps Emma can post one of her in a pink suit and tie?

Jon, a very commendable thing you are doing.  Good luck with achieving your target.


----------



## Jon von der Heyden (Oct 24, 2008)

> P.S: Jon, are you with this on FB too ?


Hi Nimit.  Yes - check out my facebook in around 5 hours from now. 



> Jon, a very commendable thing you are doing. Good luck with achieving your target.


Target exceeded already.  We have managed to raise around the £400 mark so far.


----------



## Jon von der Heyden (Oct 24, 2008)

*Just for you Parsnip!*

...now is this magenta or pink?


----------



## Stormseed (Oct 24, 2008)

Awesome pics, Jon. 

Btw, what are those 2 orange colored ball like rolls popping out of that bra ? You could have used 2 lemons instead


----------



## schielrn (Oct 24, 2008)

Since Jon put up his picture, here is the picture before I did the run:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27822368@N02/2969564345/" title="Run Like Hell 005 by ravenwlfpc, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3055/2969564345_e8f3b7ffca.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Run Like Hell 005" /></a>


----------



## schielrn (Oct 24, 2008)

Since Jon put up his picture, here is the picture before I did the run:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27822368@N02/2969564345/" title="Run Like Hell 005 by ravenwlfpc, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3055/2969564345_e8f3b7ffca.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Run Like Hell 005" /></a>


----------



## RoryA (Oct 24, 2008)

Saucy. And the 'after' shot?


----------



## schielrn (Oct 24, 2008)

practically dead.  I haven't ran in a while.  I am a cyclist.  I would choose cycling 75 miles over running 3 miles.


----------



## Domski (Oct 24, 2008)

schielrn said:


> practically dead. I haven't ran in a while. I am a cyclist. I would choose cycling 75 miles over running 3 miles.


 
Road or MTB?

After looking at that photo I've decided you're a loon. Britain needs loons! It's what makes the loon tick that matters!!!


----------



## schielrn (Oct 25, 2008)

Road, I've never tried mountain biking, but a couple of my friends do it and they say they have a blast, so I think I am going to try it next Spring/Summer.


----------



## Jon von der Heyden (Oct 26, 2008)

That CANNOT be comfortable to run in.  Nice pic


----------



## wobble12 (Oct 27, 2008)

Each to their own, but breast cancer is not my favourite charity. Some examples why:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27283197
and
http://www.newscientist.com/channel...-karen-kedrowski-and-marilyn-stine-sarow.html

When one looks at the amount spent on prostate cancer, lung cancer, etc. compared to breast cancer, and you look at the deaths for each disease, the amount breast cancer receives is hugely disproportionate.

Its not just the money of course, its the awareness, the publicity, the political pressure, the connections drug companies. Then there is the so called "race for life". A charity run that is for women only.

When we see a men only activity, we hear cries of sexism, of exclusion. We see it as a negative thing,  but when an activity is women only, we hear how "empowering" this is. We should question how such exclusion can be a good thing (it's claimed that it is women only because women have expressed a wish for it to be. Reverse the sexes, and ask how society would react on such an event).

We should question how favouring one gender for such opportunies can be a good thing, both in terms of health care, and the publicity. Especially when men die at a much younger age by a range of courses.


----------



## Jonmo1 (Oct 27, 2008)

While I agree with you, it should be fair to point out that Breast cancer is NOT a women only issue.  Men do get it too.  Rarely, but they do.


----------



## cornflakegirl (Oct 27, 2008)

Men do get breast cancer too... although I do agree with you to an extent on the disproportionate amount of money that breast cancer charities get. Cf the story earlier in the year about one donkey sanctuary getting more donations than 3 domestic abuse charities put together...

I don't think you can equate men-only and women-only activities though. Men still are unfairly dominant in many areas of society, and women do need to be empowered. (I also don't think there would be an outcry if there was a men-only Race for Life equivalent for prostate cancer.)

Edit - xpost with Jonmo for the first bit.


----------



## Jonmo1 (Oct 27, 2008)

Going with that same argument, it's the same for race issues.  In the US we have a "Black History Month".  To be clear, I have no problem with that.  But  imagine if we tried to have a "White History Month".  There would be an uproar.


----------



## cornflakegirl (Oct 27, 2008)

C'mon! You're on the verge of electing your first black president - and when he was born, you still had segregation laws!


----------



## Jon von der Heyden (Oct 27, 2008)

> We should question how favouring one gender for such opportunies can be a good thing, both in terms of health care, and the publicity.



No-one here has suggested that we should exclusively focus our efforts on raising funds to combat breast cancer.  I happen to enjoy getting involved in fund raising events for a whole heap of charities (when the opportunity presents itself).  *Wear It Pink* is but only one or my favoured events  - and regardless of what has been said in an particular earlier post BREAST CANCER AWARENESS IS STILL A DESERVING CHARITY!!!

The victims of breast cancer are not only women - considering those they leave behind are often husbands, children etc...

That anybody would criticise raising funds for such a deserving charity is just mind boggling!  Honestly!!



> (I also don't think there would be an outcry if there was a men-only Race for Life equivalent for prostate cancer.)


And there is an annual race for life for men (unsure what condition it focusses on tho).  And a great many women participated in the event - happily!!

Nuff said!


----------



## Richard Schollar (Oct 27, 2008)

Jon von der Heyden said:


> r.  I happen to enjoy getting involved in fund raising events for a whole heap of charities (when the opportunity presents itself).



Especially when it means you get to wear pink, huh Jon?


----------



## cornflakegirl (Oct 28, 2008)

Jon von der Heyden said:


> That anybody would criticise raising funds for such a deserving charity is just mind boggling!  Honestly!!



I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm certainly not criticising your charitable efforts. I just think it's unfortunate that the charities that can organise big awareness and fundraising days get a disproportionately large slice of the pie. My company has the NSPCC as its partner charity this year. My department is on track to raise £10k for them. Now the NSPCC do fantastic work, but £10k is a drop in the ocean for them, whereas for a small local charity, it could be transforming.

But I'm certainly not having a go at you Jon. And not just because the pink bra really suits you!


----------



## Jon von der Heyden (Oct 28, 2008)

I wasn't referring to any comments made by you Emma 

I was feeling somewhat grumpy last night - what with my little girl kicking off depriving me of sleep for the 3rd consecutive night!  I think I may have over-reacted a little!  Sorry!


----------



## cornflakegirl (Oct 28, 2008)

Sleep deprivation - ugh!
(How old is your little bundle of joy now?)


----------



## Jon von der Heyden (Oct 28, 2008)

Nearly 2 months.  She was really good in the beginning!  I think she's going thru a growth spurt!  Can you relate then?


----------



## cornflakegirl (Oct 28, 2008)

My son is 3, so most nights no. But if he's ill in the night, I'm in no fit state the next day!


----------



## riaz (Oct 29, 2008)

cornflakegirl said:


> My son is 3, so most nights no. But if he's ill in the night, I'm in no fit state the next day!



There is a cure for babies being ill in the night.  It's called "Daddy it's your turn", usually more effective if accompanied by a jab in the back.

Oh, those were the days.....


----------



## cornflakegirl (Oct 29, 2008)

It's not quite so effective when you need one of you to look after the sick child, and the other to clean the vomit out the carpet. Again.


----------



## riaz (Oct 29, 2008)

Get a vomit coloured carpet pro tem, then chuck it out after a year 

(From memory, it is usually white - or is this a tasteless hijack?)


----------



## cornflakegirl (Oct 29, 2008)

He didn't throw up on the carpet when he was a baby. Baby vomit is fine though - there doesn't seem to be the sour smell when they're little. Not sure why...


----------



## wobble12 (Oct 31, 2008)

Jon von der Heyden said:


> No-one here has suggested that we should exclusively focus our efforts on raising funds to combat breast cancer.  I happen to enjoy getting involved in fund raising events for a whole heap of charities (when the opportunity presents itself).  *Wear It Pink* is but only one or my favoured events  - and regardless of what has been said in an particular earlier post BREAST CANCER AWARENESS IS STILL A DESERVING CHARITY!!!


If you or anyone wish to participate in a charity event, i'm not suggesting you should be criticised, but I feel we shouldn't blindly follow events. I think that looking into what happens to our money, and how a charity behaves is very important. No organisation should hide behind a moral facade.

Don't get me wrong, I've given to Race for Life before, and I've had a relative suffer from BC, but I look at how much they get, how much influence they have over a variety of stakeholders (health authorities, politicians etc), how much they're involved with drug companies, and it leaves a nasty taste in the mouth.

When you look at the money raised and compare it to the number of (mostly) women diagnosed, BC get far more money than other diseases. When we have men dieing in greater numbers in just about every age range, and women's health gets much more spent on it, I think its time to re-assess where society's priorities should lie in terms of spending.

Its been claimed that BC charities have that "sexyness" that say, heart disease struggles to acheive. 



> The victims of breast cancer are not only women - considering those they leave behind are often husbands, children etc...


Its refreshing you say that, as I read an article once about prostate cancer, and most of the concern was about the wives left behind.

Also, some more info regarding health disparity:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/14/health/14men.html?pagewanted=2&_r=3


Also, a quick story:
Here in the UK we have Red Nose Day every few years. A TV event that raises millions for a variety of charities both in the UK and in Africa. Myself and some friends used to get involved in that in the first few years, but when we heard about some of the attitudes of some money raisers (almost bullying people into digging into their pockets), we stopped (there were other reasons, but that stuck in my mind).

This attitude is something you get when an event gets really big, with a number participants getting overly enthuseastic (sp?!). Infact I just received such an attitude, being accused of being uneducated etc. wrt the pink day. I find it rather ironic.

Of course I'm not accusing anyone here of that, but its another issue that I've come across both for this and past charities.


----------



## cornflakegirl (Oct 31, 2008)

To misquote DL Moody, I prefer the way that Jon does it to the way that you don't do it. Obviously, not aimed at anyone in particular, because I have no idea about individual's charitable efforts. But to slate people for being over-enthusiastic about raising money for charity just seems wrong.

In my ideal world, everyone would just decide rationally how much money to give, and to which charities, and set up regular DDs. But the world isn't like that. So good on Jon, Rob and anyone else who makes a fool of themselves to redirect some cash to a good cause!


----------



## riaz (Oct 31, 2008)

cornflakegirl said:


> In my ideal world, everyone would just decide rationally how much money to give, and to which charities, and set up regular DDs. But the world isn't like that. So good on Jon, Rob and anyone else who makes a fool of themselves to redirect some cash to a good cause!



I agree with Emma.  Even if the charity spends say 30% on admin, at least 70% of your donation gets to where it is supposed to go, which is 70p in the £ more than they had before.

And I do not see the point in the debate about sexy and non sexy charities?  There is nothing sexy about illness.  Give where your heart dictates.


----------



## wobble12 (Oct 31, 2008)

cornflakegirl said:


> To misquote DL Moody, I prefer the way that Jon does it to the way that you don't do it. Obviously, not aimed at anyone in particular, because I have no idea about individual's charitable efforts. But to slate people for being over-enthusiastic about raising money for charity just seems wrong.


Perhaps I worded it poorly, but what I was trying to say was that such over enthusiasm can result in bullying behaviour. That cannot be condoned. It leads to a great deal of unsavoury behaviour.



> In my ideal world, everyone would just decide rationally how much money to give, and to which charities, and set up regular DDs. But the world isn't like that. So good on Jon, Rob and anyone else who makes a fool of themselves to redirect some cash to a good cause!


Beyond there being no need for such fund raising, my ideal world would be one where charities would be less political. One where funds for different cancers were not competed against each other for resources. I'd rather see the amount of resources a disease receives is in proportion with how much is actually needed, compared with other diseases. Basically, more fairly distributed.

Idealistic, but we can all dream


----------



## Greg Truby (Oct 31, 2008)

As with almost anything, charitable giving comes with a dose of _caveat emptor._ The auditing of a charity's worthiness should be proportional to the size of one's donation. And in both cases "worthiness" and "size" are completely defined by the donor. For me, a $100 is a "sizable" donation. But it wouldn't show up on Warren Buffet's radar. 

I applaud Jon for _doing something._ Don't want to "go pink"? OK - you could donate a weekend of your time to Habitat for Humanity if that's your gig (I've done that). You could participate in "Adopt-a-Highway" roadside cleanups (I've done almost a dozen of those). You can participate in a food drive for homeless shelters (done that too). You can go Christmas caroling and decorate sugar cookies with the old timers at a retirement home (I really enjoyed that one). Donate blood (which I *hate* doing, but I grit my teeth and do it anyway.) I think you're getting my point... There are more than enough ways to donate time or money that you should be able to find at least one charity worthy of your time if you take five minutes to look for one. So what if one of the causes on the long menu of causes has attracted what you consider to be zealots? They are not the only charity in town, pick another!



wobble12 said:


> Basically, more fairly distributed.


Your most dangerous phrase. Donations freely given *are* fairly distributed. People all donate based on their perception of where the money should go. Who would be this all-knowing arbiter of fair distribution? If you have a cause that you believe deserves more resources, then become an advocate for it and get out there beat your tamborine, baby! (Or - in Jon's case - dye your hair and wear a pink brassiere)


----------



## Richard Schollar (Oct 31, 2008)

Greg Truby said:


> ...and decorate sugar cookies with the old timers at a retirement home (I really enjoyed that one).



Greg - I hadn't realised your family had packed you off to a care home already.  I guess you are getting a mite long in the tooth...


----------



## Greg Truby (Oct 31, 2008)

I met the most interesting little old lady that night. It was two Christmases ago and my son was still in Cub Scouts. Each Scout and parent paired up with one or two of the residents. We sat down with this little grandmotherly type. Oesteoporosis and arthritis had bent her back and given her a cane. But her eyes were still bright and her smile warm. She had no children of her own, having never married. Her sister, nieces and nephew were far away. As we got to talking she told us that she been one of the few women pilots in her day. Eventually saving enough money to buy her own plane and start a charter service. Over the years she built it up to where she had other pilots working for her and owned seven planes. She had flown customers to Japan and even to Moscow back in the days of the iron curtain. 

Somewhere along the line a health issue arose. She didn't offer details and I didn't press. But being a small business owner and essentially self-insured meant that she had to cover most of her own expenses. Eventually due to her health she could not run the business and sold it. Health expenses eventually consumed that money and she had to sell her home too and thus was there, with us, that December evening. 

I *never* would have guessed any of this just looking at her. Goes to show, you never can tell.


----------



## Jon von der Heyden (Oct 31, 2008)

Oesteoporosis is especially nasty - my mum suffered much pain from it!  A mere slip ended in a crushed hip and a complete replacement!  Another illness alot more common in women, and another condition that I would very willingly raise funds to help combat!



> Greg - I hadn't realised your family had packed you off to a care home already. I guess you are getting a mite long in the tooth...


  Hehehe!!!


----------



## schielrn (Oct 30, 2009)

I figured I'd dig this thread up again and post my picture from this year. Any others dress up for halloween and care to share?

[URL="http://<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27822368@N02/4057731455/" title="Halloween1030090927 by ravenwlfpc, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2460/4057731455_5ac04a1636.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Halloween1030090927" /></a>"][URL="http://www.flickr.com/photos/27822368@N02/4057731455/"]
	
[/URL][/URL]


----------



## Jon von der Heyden (Nov 21, 2009)

I've grown a moustache this November (Movember) - raising money and awareness for mens health.  Will post a pic when I have one taken.  I look a real mug!


----------

