It's a well-known fact that there are countless people go widely unrecognized in the wedding and bridal industry. Behind the scenes, these unsung heroes consistently make a positive contribution to our community for the sheer delight in helping others. Whether it is basic wedding advice, creative inspiration or something bigger, the impact they make on those recipients resonates throughout their entire lifetime.
About a month ago, we decided to honor those selfless and compassionate individuals by creating a simple pledge and asked others to take that pledge with us to help spotlight those caring people that are advancing and progressing the wedding industry on a personal level. We then asked everyone who took the wedding pledge to write a simple blog post on April 21st about someone in the wedding industry that they admire to celebrate those said individuals. The support we received was overwhelming.
With that said, the person we would like to recognize, and one who we greatly admire, is none other than Fran Hansen, co-founder of BridesAgainstBreastCancer.com.
After two breast cancer scares in 1997, Fran Hansen, of Portland, Oregon, was awoken in the middle of the night with an admirable idea. She saw herself traveling the country in a truck and trailers, selling wedding dresses that had been donated to her with the proceeds funding wishes for women with terminal breast cancer. So in 1998, Fran and her daughter Anna cofounded the nonprofit Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation, which now takes her to more than 36 cities each year to organize her famous Brides Against Breast Cancer Charity Wedding Gown Sale.
The goal of her organization is to advance the awareness of breast cancer and to educate the public about the vast resources and support available to breast cancer patients and their families. It is estimated that this year alone over 200,000 women and nearly 1,200 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer.
Every year, Fran and the Brides Against Breast Cancer accept thousands of new and used wedding gowns from private and corporate donors, then sell these beautiful gowns to brides at exceptional savings over retail prices. The proceeds are then donated to funding the wishes of those diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. Our admiration for Fran Hansen and the work she has done is why we have chosen her as the person we admire most in the wedding industry. Thank you Fran for everything you've done and everything you plan to do.
If you would like to join Fran and thousands of other selfless brides who have taken the time to donate their wedding dresses to the Brides Against Breast Cancer Charity Wedding Gown Sale, you can find more information here. And remember, your donation is 100% tax deductible.
From left, Fran Hansen with her daughter Anne Orr. Image from The Gresham Outlook
Read these other great 2009 Wedding Pledges:
It's a Jaime Thing
HCC Custom Wedding Garters
Nuptial Nuances
Marybelles Blog
I Do Vow To
Wedding & Fashion advice by Pegeen.com
Beginnings...HCC Custom Wedding Garters
Nuptial Nuances
Marybelles Blog
I Do Vow To
Wedding & Fashion advice by Pegeen.com
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