That’s a perfect description of the Pink Ribbons Project and its Survivor Founder Susan Rafte. These days, it’s not unusual to see Susan enter the room, talking intently with an invisible someone but with no phone in sight. And then the ear piece is more evident and you realize she’s closing a conversation about one project as she’s arriving to discuss another.
She’s petite, agile, and possesses a simple elegance … even when she’s in a pair of jeans. She has some of the best shoes—especially her cowgirl boots--that one could ever imagine! Her mind never seems to stop connecting the dots and she’s constantly generating ideas for networking and new ways to draw attention to breast cancer.
Multi-tasking is a way of life for this co-creator of the arts-based organization that not only raises funds for breast cancer groups like The Rose but also provides survivors and their family members a chance to express themselves through the arts.
I’ve known Susan for years – we’ve worked on various projects together since Pink Ribbons Project’s beginnings back in 1998 when they first became supporters of The Rose. Today we share responsibilities as board members of the Breast Health Collaborative of Texas. She’s a great supporter of The Rose. And she is also a survivor. She was diagnosed in 1995.
The story of Susan and her sister Jane Weiner is now legendary. Wanting to do something, Jane and her friends danced. That dance created funds that eventually supported testimony for FDA approval of new drugs which would in fact be the drugs that would save Susan’s life. It is an extraordinary story and one that continues to impact our community.
Throughout the years, Jane and Susan’s fundraising efforts have included more dance -- aka “Pink at the Brown,” an incredible production at the Wortham Theater which even warranted attendance by President Bush and wife Barbara. Their Tour de Pink is a one-of-a-kind ride and Pink Platters features specially created plates displayed at only the finest restaurants. They even gave us a bit of “Broadway” when they brought “Bald in the Land of Big Hair” to a Houston stage.
All this fun has raised a lot of funds! The proceeds have covered the costs of expensive mammography equipment, including our most recent needs for digital equipment and superior ultrasound systems as well as partially funding one of the Mobile Mammography units. Many of the dollars raised have gone directly to patient care. In fact, for the longest time, it was Pink Ribbons’ contributions that allowed for services for some of our women who truly fell between the cracks.
Of all the events we’ve collaborated on, the most recent has been one of the most well-received and special to our patients. Giving our clients a special treat each first Tuesday of the month, area artists offer a day of instruction to those waiting for their screenings at The Rose Galleria. Pink Ribbons provides the funds to cover the costs of not only the day of art but also the needs of any sponsored patients that come in those days.
We transform the conference room adjacent to the waiting area into our own little art studio. Then paintings, jewelry, needlework, sculptures, and three-dimensional cards emerge as both women and men (lots of husbands) express their creative sides … or at least enjoy the coffee and homemade cupcakes made by our staff!
When one of the women holds up her creation for all to see, it’s easy to understand why Susan has devoted so much of her apparently never-ending energies to encouraging the use of the arts as therapy. The pride is there. The joy is there. And for a few moments, fears about health are pushed aside and a new creation is celebrated.
Those “Pink Days at The Rose” are great illustrations of what I imagine the inside of Susan’s brain must look like – creative, constant chatter, and a little bit of chaos all combined!
Even Pink Ribbons Project’s new executive director Loubel Cruz Galik has gotten in on the action of Pink Days. Her infectious smile was wide the day she dropped by to check on how it was going and wound up staying for a little creative expression of her own!
With Loubel now at the helm of Pink Ribbons Project, you might think that Susan would slow down but that would only be true if you didn’t know Susan. Those of us who have seen her in motion, know there’s no stopping her.
And The Rose … as well as the other local breast cancer organizations who benefit from Pink Ribbons Project regularly … are grateful!
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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