April Greetings from BB!
Dear Friends of BB!,

April is National Volunteer month and we wanted to take a moment to tell you about a few of ours! Read below about two ladies of BB! that are SO full of  love for our mission, that they come into the office each and every week as  Full Support Volunteers.  We are beyond grateful for their support as well as so many others who give their all to BB! on so many levels. Winston Churchill said, "We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give."  We could not agree more and thank all of our volunteers for their time, talent, and compassion.


 
Vicki Vawter, Events and Marketing Manager


 
 

Survivor & Volunteer Hannah Coakley Pledges Full Support to BB! Mission
By: Jamie McAllister


Almost three years ago Hannah Coakley battled breast cancer and won. A year ago she began volunteering with Beyond Boobs! She had attended breast cancer support groups in the past, but had just not been inspired. Discovering Beyond Boobs! fueled Hannah's efforts to get involved and give back. She was diagnosed in her 60s and didn't fall into the category of the younger women served by BB!, but her positive outlook meshed with the group's dynamic energy, so she chose instead to become a volunteer. "As a BB! volunteer I am really accomplishing something," Hannah said. "I love it!"

Hannah spends her volunteer hours at the Beyond Boobs! main office preparing supplies for the group's events and fundraisers. Currently she is working on putting together gift baskets that will be raffled off at the upcoming 8th Annual "Breast" Ball Golf Tournament. She has also helped out with other big-ticket events, including the Old Dudes Bike Ride and the Pink Carpet Gala, to name a few. 

Hannah is originally from New Jersey and is a retired school secretary. She has lived in Williamsburg for nine years. "Like me, a lot of people are from out of state," she said. "I love that the women at BB! look out for each other and take care of each other, just like family."Hannah has three grown children: Michael, Jonathan, and Erin. She is the proud grandmother of four grandchildren. In her spare time, she enjoys making goat's milk soap. She also makes heating pads filled with rice and flaxseed and scented with French lavender and peppermint. She often gives her homemade creations away as part of a gift basket.


 
Volunteer Kim Coulter Pledges Full Support to BB! Mission

By: Jamie McAllister

Every Tuesday Kim Coulter volunteers at the Beyond Boobs! main office in Williamsburg, placing orders for office supplies or searching online for event supplies. Lately she has been scouring the Internet, looking for just the right items for the upcoming 8th Annual "Breast" Ball Golf Tournament. Kim has been a volunteer with BB! for almost three years. She enjoys volunteering so much that she has also started coming in a couple of hours every Wednesday to work on the metrics that impact BB!'s end-of-year financial reports.  "The women at Beyond Boobs! have become like family," Kim said. "We all get along so well together and I look forward to seeing everyone when I come in to the office."

When Kim retired after 30 years working for the government in the CIA, she searched for ways to give back to her community. She discovered Beyond Boobs!, began volunteering, and now she is hooked.  "My mother had breast cancer in the 1980s and my maternal grandmother died from cervical cancer," Kim said. "I always donated to cancer organizations, but after my grandmother passed away I wanted to get more involved."

Beyond Boobs! and their work with young breast cancer survivors has made a big impact on Kim. "I have learned a lot about breast cancer," she said. "One of the things I enjoy the most is talking with survivors and seeing how resilient they are. BB! is there for women, helping them find the resources they need. It's a great place to volunteer."

In addition to logging in volunteer hours at the Beyond Boobs! office, Kim also donates her time at Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center, where she helps out in the volunteer office and other places in the hospital. Kim also enjoys helping animals. While working at the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan, she met and adopted Tikka, a dog found roaming outside the building. Kim brought Tikka back with her to the U.S. and now the two spend lots of time together, getting in three or four walks a day.  "I named her after chicken tikka masala, a spicy Middle Eastern dish," Kim explained. "The name fits her so well because she has such a spicy personality."

Kim loves baseball and is a diehard fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates. She is a season ticket holder for weekend games and travels when she can from her home in Williamsburg to Pennsylvania to root for her favorite team.

BB! News

Beyond Boobs! is growing and blooming just like the leaves and flowers of Spring! There's a flurry of activity in both of our offices and now there's plenty of room to work, special areas for our volunteers, and even a conference room for staff and sponsor meetings. In case you haven't heard, we now have two offices next door to each other in the Williamsburg Office Park. Our main office is located at 1309 Jamestown Rd Suite 204 with another office at 1311 Jamestown Rd Suite 202 that is typically being used the most on Tuesday when our Tuesday Tag Team is hard at work. We'd like to give a big shout out to Final Phase Installation, Prism Paint, Sherwin Williams, Mike Putt, and our movers and painters  for helping us get ready for the expansion! Our office hours are from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday to Thursday unless otherwise noted.

BB! News

How to green your cleaning routine 
~ Courtesy of TreeHugger.com 
With reporting by  Manon Verchot

Cleaning products are everywhere in our homes and offices: on dishes, countertops, furniture, clothes, floors, windows, and floating through the air. In our war on dirt and germs we may often actually be making things worse.  Most of the conventional cleaning products we all grew up with are petroleum-based and have dubious health and environmental implications. Instead of opting for cleaning products that annihilate everything in their path, there are plenty of natural products and methods that keep a house clean and fresh-smelling without the toxic side effects. 

Top Green Cleaning Tips

1. Employ green cleaning products
As the health and environmental impacts of conventional cleaning products become more thoroughly understood, more and more brands of healthy, green, and effective cleaning products have started hitting the market and competing for that coveted place of honor under your sink. Many of these products are non-toxic, biodegradable, and made from renewable resources (not petroleum). But if designer labels aren't for you, home-mixed cleaners can get the job done and then some. Read more here...

BB! News

Congratulations to Ren? Bowditch

Conducted annually, the Hampton Roads Volunteer Achievement Awards recognizes the region's most outstanding volunteers based on their length of service, initiative and impact on the community. Every year they honor men, women, and youth for their encouraging stories and this time we think they made an excellent choice. This year, our own Ren Bowditch was honored for Outstanding Community Service for her many years and thousands of hours of service to BB! as our board president, co-founder, the Good Health Fairy, and so much more. We know we are beyond blessed to have her. Congrats Ren ?!  You deserve it!
March Calendar Model of the Month

Janell

61, Diagnosed at 35
No family history

Teacher, ordained minister, wife to a minister, and mother of two adult children, Janell heard on TV about a singer who had died of breast cancer at age 31. She was overcome with a "funny feeling" in her right breast that she couldn't shake, so Janell's concerned husband made an appointment for her. Although too small to be felt, a mammogram followed by a biopsy of her right breast showed ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), stage 0 breast cancer. Janell underwent a modified radical mastectomy with reconstruction. Having personally experienced the isolation of being a young woman with an older woman's disease, Janell has made it her mission to listen to newly diagnosed young women and to share her message of hope.  With a penchant for ducks......  Read more and hear Janell's story here...



TEASER!
Tune in next month for more information on 'Leaving a Legacy.' If there's a will, there's a way!

A Calendar to Live By 2016 Sponsorship Opportunities Now Available
Help us save lives by becoming a sponsor in our breast health guide disguised as a calendar.
Click HERE to view many ways to help! 


Calendar This!
Breast Fest & The 
Mr. Breast Fest Competition
May 9, 2015 
Virginia Beach, VA
Click HERE for a full page flyer or HERE for sponsorship opportunities.
Recipe of the Month

Summer Cucumber and Strawberry Salad

Courtesy of TheHealthJournals.com
Radiation Therapy

April
Sponsor of the Month

Not Your Typical Support Systems
Did you know that Beyond Boobs! now has 13 Not Your Typical Support Systems in four states?
For a listing of support systems, click HERE !
Special Thanks to This Year's Sustaining Sponsors
      

If you are interested in becoming a sustaining sponsor, call our office at 757.645.2649

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Beyond Boobs! is dedicated to healing and saving lives by supporting young women diagnosed with breast cancer while providing breast health education for all.
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