Ive alluded to it and have been waiting for the right time to make this announcement, and it turns out todays the perfect day! Please, read this story Im about to share with you! Sweet little Graci, my new great-niece, is being baptized today. Her name is a tribute to her grandfather, my brother-in-law Craig Merkel, who baptized my daughter, Georgia, 18 years ago! Melanoma took Craig from this life too early, four years ago. Then, cruelly, melanoma took my brother-in-law Jim Saunders the next year. Would you agree with me that its just too much that two of my sisters should be widowed by this terrible skin cancer? I thought so then, and I still do. I didnt want other families to endure what ours had. But, not being a medical professional, I wasnt sure what kind of difference I could make in the fight against melanoma. Id write a donation check each month to the Melanoma Research Foundation, but, frankly, it wasnt very satisfying. Not long after Jim died, I met Jen Engh Griswold during lunch break at a military spouse employment summit my friend Sue Luangkhot Hoppin hosts. She told me she was working with the doctors who created Proactiv on their new company, Rodan+Fields. While I hadnt been looking for anything like that for myself, I listened when she spoke — and Im so glad I did, because I had some true EUREKA! moments: • She told me she got to share with people about skincare—which meant a door could open to talk about skin health and sun safety. • She described a business setup that was customizable, portable, virtual, and totally unlike anything else in its field—which showed me its possible to generate additional income and still keep a flexible schedule (like what I wanted for my high-stress family life) and move wherever the Army sends us without giving up my own income-producing efforts. And for Petes sake I did NOT want to do anything that resembled what Id thought of as direct sales! • She mentioned that she allocates her income to an organization, without eating into her familys operating & long-term savings budget, to support a cause important to her—which helped me see that I could allocate income to fight melanoma! It didnt take me long to grasp that what Jen did with Rodan+Fields for her cause could be what I did for melanoma, in a way that made a lot of sense for my life. THAT is why I did it, everyone! Its why I joined the Rodan+Fields mission and put myself out there again and again to share my business and products — and why what Im about to tell you is so huge! So here is the AMAZING news (drum roll please!): Ive just signed a Gift Agreement with the Melanoma Research Foundation in honor and memory of Craig and Jim! This is above and beyond the tithes Ive been sharing since my first month in business; it will help fund the investigations of medical students, the next generation of pioneers who could very well innovate or discover effective preventions and treatments for melanoma! To everyone whos ever supported me (& there are too many to tag): Thank you! Youve not only enjoyed great skincare to keep yourself healthy and glowing, but youve also contributed to something big and important! I hesitated over whether to share this, since giving is its own reward, but ultimately I think to honor Craig and Jim publicly in this way is important and might serve to inspire. (Now, if youve seen me post about the Jeep I bought Patrick and about the other fun things Ive gotten to buy and do, all through this business, yes—its all true! Its made so much more possible than Id ever have conceived of at the start!) If youve ever wanted a way to make a difference for a cause thats important to you, we should totally look into this together. You just never know... #teamgive #changingskinchanginglives #melanoma
Posted on: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 20:31:08 +0000
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