Heather Fitzmorris Service Project Assignment Mrs. B’s Tea Parlor’s Pink Tea
Mrs. B’s Pink Tea For my service project, I worked with Mrs. B’s Tea Parlor. For the month of October, to celebrate breast cancer awareness, Mrs. B’s hosted the first annual “Pink Tea”. The tea parlor, which is located in downtown Littleton, CO, invited women who had been affected in some way by breast cancer, whether they themselves were patients or survivors, or had lost a loved one to breast cancer. Mrs. B’s also invited those women who simply wanted to celebrate life with the women around them. This opportunity to celebrate brought many different women together through out the month, and there was a very positive response from those who attended. The parlor, which typically gathers wonder and awe from those who enter the door, was decorated with even more pink then usual for the occasion. Pink bows and ribbons welcomed the celebration, with pink balloons for the women who shared with the house that they were survivors. Mrs. B’s Tea Parlor offers an amazing experience for those who attend the afternoon tea. Typically, the tea includes a pot of tea, a basket of scones with Devonshire and jam, several tea sandwiches, several hot items, and a full plate of confections. For the pink tea, the restaurant experimented with pink scones and pink Devonshire. They also included sandwiches and desserts that had pink elements, such as the strawberry blossom sandwich and strawberry rhubarb tarts. The event went very well for the restaurant. Originally scheduled for just the first 2, and then 3 weeks of the month, there was such a great response that Mrs. B’s decided to extend the event through the end of October.
I partnered with Mrs. B’s and helped to plan the advertising scheme, as far as what would be most effective in getting the word out to customers and potential customers. I first designed the logo and the flyers. One of the tools that Mrs. B’s uses to promote upcoming events is bill flyers. They create little flyers to put in with the bills as they hand them out, and many of the customers take them to remember to attend, or hand them off to a friend. From the flyers that were to be hung up, I made smaller versions to meet this need. I also began to place information on Facebook, as well as Twitter, as the 2 are linked for the parlor. The next step was creating an event listing on yourhub.com, to try to reach a wider audience.
Breast Cancer Awareness One in every 8 women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime, which certainly makes breast cancer a very important issue to address. It is also important to raise awareness and inform the public about how important it is to get regular screenings, and about how important it is to spread the word. Mrs. B’s felt that it was important to participate in these efforts as well. According to the National Cancer Institute, Breast cancer is a type of cancer that “forms in tissues of the breast, usually the ducts (tubes that carry milk to the nipple) and lobules (glands that make milk).�It occurs in both men and women, although male breast cancer is rare. One of the sad truths is that many women do not learn much about breast health unless they breastfeed or they have a problem that needs medical attention. If it is the second, it is probably too late to inform. It has become essential to reach the public and make sure they understand and know how serious the issue of breast cancer is. In 2010, there have been 207,090 new female cases and 1,970 male cases. Though it is lower than in past years due to the increased amount of awareness and treatment options, it is still too many. Tragically, there have been an estimated 39,840 female deaths this year alone, along with 390 male deaths. One in every 8 women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. There are many risk factors thought to be related to breast cancer. As both types are cited as possible factors, it is unclear whether or not breast cancer can be traced to things that can be controlled or those that are inherited. The American Cancer Society lists the following as being associated with possible causes: including smoking, drinking, diet, a person's age, race, or family history. The most cited risk factors are age, gender, and family history.
Breast cancer awareness has become a very hot topic in recent years. There have been a number of foundations created with that focus in mind, as well as the support of breast cancer patients and survivors. One such organization is the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Their mission is to “save lives by increasing awareness of breast cancer through education and by providing mammograms for those in need.� They work to create programs and provide women help for today and hope for tomorrow. It is encouraging visions like these that support the thousands of women diagnosed with breast cancer each year.
Service Project Materials For the Pink Tea, I created a flyer in Adobe Indesign to publicize the event in the restaurant, as well as in other local businesses. This flyer was also shortened and sent to a sign company and a banner was created to hang in front of Mrs. B’s for the month. I created a bill flyer to be inserted in with guest bills to promote the event. These are very effective as the customers tend to ask for extras to take to friends, so it helps with word of mouth referrals. I also posted the event on Yourhub.com, with a more detailed description in an effort to attract new business. Many of the customers that come in are older ladies. This was done to reach a new, younger audience, as many of them are affected by breast cancer as well. In order to meet customer needs, the Pink Tea was extended, and Yourhub.com also helped to spread that detail.
Reflections I felt that the pink tea was very successful. We aimed to bring people together with a specific goal in mind: to be aware of the people that are affected by breast cancer and to remember those people and know that they are heroes. The restaurant saw many women coming together to celebrate and remember the important and amazing women in their lives. One of the girls that works at the restaurant invited her grandmother to attend the tea, as she is a 4 year survivor. She came in with her family and they celebrated her life. It was an amazing thing. I was proud to see the turn out the event brought and of the people who came and brought their loved ones. It was a wonderful time of celebrating and realizing the blessings that are given to us. My perspective on civility was impacted by the tea. The intention of the restaurant was to enjoy and celebrate the lives of the women around us, as well as to remember and celebrate Mrs. B, the restaurant’s namesake. Mrs. B was a 2 time breast cancer survivor with an amazing story. Her second time being diagnosed with breast cancer, she was considered too old for conventional treatment. Susan G. Komen for the cure paid for her experimental treatment and gave her 7 more years of life. In her memory, the restaurant decided to donate a portion of the proceeds to Susan G. Komen for the cure. Because of this, I included the name of the foundation on the flyer for the Pink Tea. Following this, the tea parlor had a waitress who refused to work during the Pink Tea because like many other companies, Susan G. Komen supports Planned Parenthood. This should not have even been an issue. The way that I understand it, from the research I have done, the money goes to fund mammograms for low income women. Either way, my view of civility was affected by this situation. Because she had not been affected by breast cancer, she refused to try to understand what the women that were invited to the Pink Tea had been through. She refused to
see life through their eyes. We came together to celebrate life. The restaurant also received an email that criticized the choice to support Susan G. Komen because of the same issues. The woman that sent it was very rude, and treated the owner as if she was uneducated about the choice she made, as she went into great detail about the ways she felt Planned Parenthood was horrible. I am always surprised at how people can go around pointing their finger at others because they do not have the same ideals or beliefs. Because of these issues, I learned that the wording you choose for promotional material matters. There are always the people that choose to speak their mind, even when it is not welcome. Through this experience, I learned that my words do have impact. It is very important to choose them carefully, and to be prepared to defend the reasons the words were chosen. In this way, my view of communication was impacted as well. When creating materials that will be viewed by the public, it is very important to consider the message you will be conveying. The restaurant was not aware of the implications of including something as simple as the organization that would be benefitted from the event, and neither was I. But looking back, I don’t believe that the words would have been changed, even knowing what would come of them. We were honest about where we were sending the money with the people that attended and I feel that is more important then worrying about whether or not we offended someone in the process. In relation to service learning, the experience enhanced my perspective because I was able to see that I made a difference in the attendance of the event for a family owned and operated business that would not have had the resources to promote the event as well. It feels good to give back and impact a business like that.
References "About Breast Cancer." Hope Tor Today...Hope For Tomorrow. National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc, n.d. Web. 19 Nov 2010. <http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/About-Breast-Cancer/>. "Breast Cancer Home Page." National Cancer Institute. US National Institutes of Health, n.d. Web. 19 Nov 2010. <http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/breast>. "Breast Cancer Overview." American Cancer Society. American Cancer Society, n.d. Web. 19 Nov 2010. <http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/BreastCancer/OverviewGuide/breast-canceroverview-what-causes>. "Facts about Breast Cancer." Women's Health. WebMD, n.d. Web. 19 Nov 2010. <http://women.webmd.com/guide/breast-cancer-arm-yourself-with-facts>. "Understanding Breast Cancer." Susan G. Komen for a cure. Susan G. Komen for a cure, n.d. Web. 19 Nov 2010. <http://ww5.komen.org/BreastCancerAboutBreastCancer.html>.