I first heard about Alden Clark from our employee Cheryl Gallager. She was our development associate assigned to major and corporate gifts and besides being an incredibly beautiful woman, she had the most gorgeous hair. She talked about SoK and her hairdresser, Alden, with a touch of awe in her voice. Even when her schedule got too overbooked, she’d rather have the gray showing and wait until whenever he had an opening than let anyone else “touch her hair.” The choice of gray over another stylist? Well … knowing Cheryl that was a huge endorsement.
Cheryl introduced Carol Wright our development director to Alden and suddenly Carol’s hair is looking pretty great also. Those two starting talking to Alden and somewhere during that time these handcrafted, pink hair extensions started adorning the heads of women at our events. I still don’t know the exact process Alden’s staff uses, but I’ve heard the hair has to be dyed and then attached to the tiny clips that are then secured in a person’s locks. Carol and her team would sport those pieces during many of our events, and Alden’s staff would come out and sell them for only $10 -- all of which went entirely to The Rose. It didn’t take long before those sales started adding up and SoK became a pretty significant partner.
I remember one hot, sticky Bikers Against Breast Cancer event. There was Alden’s team; setting up under a small tent, with their hair pieces, scissors and curling irons. It was a pretty uncomfortable day but his team stayed in good spirits, patiently attaching piece after piece onto the heads of women that had just been wearing helmets.
That’s when I dared Michelle Hanson’s brother-in-law Charles to get one put in his beard—the primary amount of hair on this young man’s head -- and after a bit of cajoling he agreed. What a hoot it was to see him preen with his over long, pink goatee. I finally had one put into my locks at the 2011 Shrimp Boil. And I got another one on Pink Street during White Linen Night in the Heights. Did I mention the Alden’s SoK team comes to all our events?
I’ve heard the story about Alden’s third grade report card with the teacher’s note that his work would improve if he would stop braiding his friend’s hair. Aren’t we glad he didn’t? He explains that even after 20 years and getting his masters and a PhD, he’s still doing what he loves -- making women feel beautiful.
I know for sure he has made a difference in the lives of the women who’ve gone to him, into their first or second round of chemotherapy and watching with horror as their hair falls out in handfuls. He has a special way of helping them through that time and shows them how to wear a wig with style. Somehow knowing he’ll be the one to remake them once their hair grows back provides the hope they need to get through one more thing associated with breast cancer.
Last Christmas, Alden sent me a book that features the story about the circumstances surrounding his adoption of his son Travis – a story everyone should read. You see, Travis would most likely have died without Alden helping his mother—a complete stranger to him. And, if Alden had not taken Travis in, that child was destined to a life no one would wish on another human being. Alden hates such talk, saying Travis was a gift to him, but we know a miracle when we see it.
I’m glad we’re honoring Alden at the gala because beyond the hairdresser, is the philanthropist and father, someone who cares and whose caring has truly made a difference in so many lives.
And now for a few thoughts about KPRC …
For the Rose to have a professionally produced commercial in one year was a pretty big deal; for us to have two in as many years was “pert near a miracle.” But then, around The Rose, we have come to expect miracles. From the beginning our relationship with KPRC has been nothing less than a miraculous adventure.
It all started when John Mills, sales associate for KPRC, was traveling south on Loop 610, pondering over the loss of a major medical center sponsor for October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. That sponsor had held the October spot for years and virtually out of the blue they dropped it. Another out of the blue event occurred when John, driving at maximum speed, happened to looked up and saw a sign…actually it was giant pink ribbon enveloping the words “The Rose” on a building. John had never really heard of The Rose but there was no doubting what that pink ribbon meant so as soon as he landed back at the station he started calling.
We have to stop here so I can fill you in on the story of the sign (which deserves a whole chapter itself). The long and short of it was that when we signed the lease on the space in Foundation Surgical Hospital for our second location (renamed from The Rose Joan Gordon Center to The Rose Galleria) our agreement included signage -- in fact, a sign with major placement on their building. Little did we or the leasing folks know at the time of signing that Bellaire only allows one sign per building. But thanks to the Board’s tenacious Tom Watson and his pal, our real estate agent, Marshall Clinkscale, a sign was installed. Granted, it was placed on the garage immediately adjacent to the Foundation Medical Tower but a sign it was—and when lit at night, it was magnificent! To have a Rose presence on loop 610, one of the busiest highways in Houston Texas was no small feat and to this day people comment about seeing our sign and marvel at how we’ve grown.
But back to the commercial. John contacted Carol Wright, our development director and visits followed. He was so taken with The Rose, he brought his boss out. We all talked. We shared the pictures of women who had late stage breast cancer, huge cancers that erupted through the skin and explained women still come to us in that bad of shape today. Meeting followed meeting and before we knew it, we figured out a way to afford a commercial and air time. We would trade printing three newsletters for the cost of the advertising on TV. At least that is what we thought.
Before we knew it, we were introduced to the then General Manager and later to the next general manager. The news production crew, led by Tracy Hatfield, got involved and soon October was filled with The Rose manning a phone bank nearly every day. We pulled out all the stops and called upon friends and collaborators and covered the bank. The best show was when 25 men arrived sporting pink T-shirts with the words “Tough Enough to Wear Pink” emblazoned across their chests.
We produced our first commercial, a good one, with friends and colleagues posing as patients. Our message was clear and the spot had some success in raising awareness.
October flew by and just as we were catching our breath, John came to us with another idea. Seems there was a national promotion going on, their affiliate was bringing in one of the top names in commercial advertising, a genius known for creating branding with songs and jingles and tying them into commercials that had ten, fifteen, twenty year recognition levels. In fact, we all knew of some of his work. The deal was we would meet Otis, share with him what we hoped to achieve, and he would produce a commercial and a customized song “on the spot.” The only hitch was we had to make the decision on the day of the visit. We were looking at a significant amount of money and a commitment not only to the commercial production but also a year-long schedule for airing it.
I didn’t like that idea. The whole thing bothered me. The Rose doesn’t often make “instant” decisions especially when considering large sums of money. I brought the concept to the Board, explaining the rules as they had laid them out. I was surprised when Mryleen, our new Board Chair, said we needed to hear them out. So board members, all with the authority to make that final decision, arrived at Hotel Za Za, prepared to listen and equally prepared to say no.
The meeting room was elegant to say the least. Big overstuffed couches and chairs, rich browns and coppers splashed through fabrics and brought a subtle richness to the suite. Every comfort had been anticipated for the afternoon meeting -- fresh juice, spring water, great coffee, finger foods and great sweet treats. Everyone was cordial, everything was inviting; until Otis, the star produce and our group started talking.
Otis began asking questions about The Rose. His questions seemed harmless enough but with each response he drilled down to a new level. Bob, Corkey and Myrleen responded with our usual descriptions: The Rose was special. The Rose save lives. We were unique. No one else did what The Rose did. We served people no one else wanted. At one point, Bob said “If we could get you to come to The Rose you’d see why it is so different.”
What Otis did next caused the dam to burst. He dismissed one explanation after another, finally saying everyone thought their company or organization was special and most places simply weren’t. His words were just south of being placating, and my Taurus personality was getting more than riled. The Bull is always ready to move from one side of the coral to the other until it is backed into a corner, then it comes out raging. Otis had done more than that, he had pushed until there was nowhere else to go. Then he started waving the red flag when he said The Rose just wasn’t a big deal!
That was when the battle began.
For the next thirty minutes, Otis and I fired insults and digs back and forth at each other. He dismissed every statement I said and with every dismissal, I dug in deeper. I made it pretty clear that we were the customers, and he made it equally clear the he was the expert and most importantly the artist. He hammered away at me, challenging everything I said about The Rose and just as I was ready to walk out, he said, “I think I’m ready to create your commercial and your song.”
At that point, it didn’t matter. He could jump out the window for all I cared. I was ready to leave, said so, and started gathering my stuff. The Board folks were also pretty annoyed but his people talked us down, promised us it would be worth the wait and literally begged us to let Otis “work his magic.” We relented. Some of us visited the buffet, others walked out to the balcony. I was still fuming. Myrleen kept reminding me we had come this far, we might as well hear him out.
After about thirty minutes, Otis and his team returned. They set up the background music and the vocalist moved behind a microphone. No one said anything. People were urged to gather around them. I was moved up to the front, standing next to Myrleen. I fidgeted, swaying from one foot to the other, I just wanted out of there.
Then the song began. I was prepared to hate it with all my being, my jaw was locked, my shoulders scrunched up and tight, arms crossed over my chest. The song continued, I tensed up even more when tears flooded my eyes. “I refuse to let that arrogant man know I like it!” I swore to myself. The verses continued, capturing everything I had said about The Rose and more. They had fashioned my words into phrases that carried deep meaning with palpable passion. My heart swelled in my chest, my throat was tight, I forced my face to remain neutral, but those darn tears started rolling down my checks.
I could feel the glances from the Board members. Myrleen looked at me, eyebrows raised.
“It has some potential” I said.
We all laughed. Actually, it was an amazing arrangement and did indeed capture the essence of The Rose. The deal was struck. In a few weeks, we would see the first drafts of the commercial. Otis had described its major components and how it would come together.
We started walking out of the room together. Otis casually slipped an arm over my shoulder. Not expecting such an intimate gesture, I pulled back. His laugh was gentle, and he apologized for being so rough on me. He said he had to dig down to get past my “elevator speech” and into my passion if he had any hope of finding the right message for The Rose.
Then he explained he was fighting his own battle with cancer. This was a second go around for him. His lovely wife joined us and shared some stories of his last few months. She pulled me aside and with a knowing look assured me that Otis was already “in love” with The Rose and we would be incredibly pleased with his final product.
We were. The commercial was more rich, more effective, than anything we could have imagined. In fact, I’ve been at health fairs and meetings and had people come up to me and attempt to sing the jingle, “There’s a light in the window…”
Otis gave us another gift. “I’ll make you a deal,” he said. “Let me redo your logo. However, you only get one chance at it. I’ll send you several different designs but you have to pick one of them ‘cause I don’t have time to fool around with revisions.”
I agreed but when the mock-ups came, he had included a rose, the flower, within each offering. At that time, we didn’t allow a rose to be part of our logo (every Tom, Dick and Steven who owned a breast imaging center used the flower with their name and long ago I had grown tired of people mistaking them for us.) Since Otis said we only had one shot at it, I didn’t even bother to call him.
Weeks passed and one afternoon he called. As always, his voice gruff, his words were direct, “You didn’t let me know how you liked the logo. “
“Otis, you said we only had one chance at this and your folks (I had learned some diplomacy) put a rose in every one of samples. Remember when we all talked about the logo and I said we don’t use the flower with our name?”
After a long pause, he muttered: “Oh right, I forgot that. Let me send you some different ones.”
I smiled.
So our new logo was created replacing one that had served us well for more than a decade. Now with a pink ribbon and our name, we had a new image to enter a new level of marketing.
During its October campaigns, KPRC created incredible human interest stories that touch hearts and encourage women to take action. In 2010, the station’s “31 Days of Breast Cancer” featured personal narratives from both male and female survivors, patients in treatment, and family members dealing with breast cancer or the loss of a loved one. Following this coverage, demand for appointments flooded The Rose. Most recently, KPRC created the videos for all our honorees that we will share during our 25th Silver Rose Gala—professionally produced and edited, these segments are works of art that will tell our story extremely well and be treasured by each person featured and honored during our event.
From the beginning, KPRC has been more than a media source. They have been a partner and have gone the extra mile over and over again to bring The Rose and its mission to an ever growing audience. John has been much more than our sales contact, talk about an ambassador, he’s one of the best!
And it all started with a sign on a building.
This memory is one of 25 short stories written by Dorothy Gibbons, the Co-founder and CEO of The Rose, a nonprofit breast cancer organization. She and Dr. Dixie Melillo received the 501C3 documents for The Rose in 1986. A memory will be shared daily, culminating with number 25 on the day The Rose celebrates its 25th anniversary November 10.
© 2011 Dorothy Gibbons. All rights reserved.
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