Team Somedia: #StingCancer

I decided to run for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s (Man &) Woman of the Year because #SomedayisToday and #CancerEndsWithMe

Blood cancer has affected my life in such big ways — and it continues to affect my life and the lives of those I love… and I hate it. I have a passion for curing blood cancer so that my children don’t have to worry about me getting cancer or vice versa (that is, when I eventually have children). I don’t want my friends to worry about their parents getting cancer and I don’t want to worry about my friends getting cancer. I think cancer SUCKS and I’d like to see the end of it. I believe we will find the cure in my lifetime and that I will help make major strides in finding that cure.

For the last two years, I’ve won the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s highest fundraiser for the Light the Night North Metro Walk. My team and I raised the money for my total by hosting a poker tournament and a massive dine to donate in downtown Roswell with all my favorite restaurants. This year, I’ve been nominated to run for the LLS Georgia chapter’s Woman of the Year. I’ll keep you up to date with all of our planning, ideas, successes, and failures right here on Medium. I’ve learned a lot about marketing for fundraising events so far, and I’m about to learn a lot more. Join me, won’t you?

——————————————

When I was 16, my competitive cheerleading coach, Nicole Cumberland, died at the age of 27 of Leukemia. She had been such a major part of my life and at 16, the impact of her death was enough to break my heart. For me, as an adolescent, my cheerleading coach also played the role of mother, best friend, and sister.

In 2010 I founded Somedia Solutions, a social media marketing company that helps individuals, businesses, and nonprofits reach influential people to build valuable and profitable relationships using tools like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn (then) as well as Pinterest, Instagram, and Vine (now). I also met a friend and business referral partner, Torri Westmoreland. She and her husband John own a business named In-Depth Wraps and they wrap vehicles to (wait for it… I love their tagline) “drive your marketing.” One of their cars was dedicated to a group called Stick it 2 Cancer and I found myself staring at the car covered in pictures of their group, the thermometer measuring their success, and the logos of all the business involved with the group.

As a budding marketing know-it-all, new business owner, AND new to the area, I was intrigued and found out as much as I could. Then I got uber involved and haven't looked back. Here’s what you need to know about Stick it 2 Cancer and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society:

• Stick it 2 Cancer (Si2C) was founded by John and Torri Westmoreland. John recently overcame Hodgkins Lymphoma
• Si2C raises funds to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (www.lls.org)
• Si2C is a group of business owners in North Atlanta who host events to “have fun, saving lives” (another tagline I love!)
• Si2C is not an organized non-profit and do our best to keep costs to a minimum (that means that we connect with our network and community to produce events that will cost as close to nothing as possible so that everything we raise goes to blood cancer research)
• In the first four years, Team Si2C raised over $300,000 for LLS (specifically, the Light the Night North GA event)
• LLS distributes funds based on need
• 78% of all funds raised at the Light the Night Walk goes straight to blood cancer research or patient services
• LLS has several spokes in its wheel and spoke model: Light the Night, TEAM in Training, Pennies for Patients, Man & Woman of the Year, the Regatta, and individual grants (100% of monies donated to an individual grant actually goes to that grant!)
• The Si2C teams will continue raising funds for blood cancer research and each event’s host will decide which program to benefit
• Team Somedia donates social media marketing services for all Si2C events
• Our team uses Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to inform our friends about our cause, promote upcoming events, partner with companies to make our events even more remarkable, document events as they happen, and follow up on events with updates regarding fundraising totals, thank yous to our partners, and then again, new and upcoming events
• We've managed to create a pretty remarkable marketing strategy that effectively generates tremendous turnout at live events, drives marketing for the companies involved (In-Depth Wraps, Brandywine Printing, Big-Frog T-Shirts and More of Cumming, Somedia, JTECH Networks, Lenny’s Sub Shop, Rooter PLUS!, CPR Momma, Spencer Pest Services, and many other restaurants, event facilities, photographers, and local businesses).

I was nudged by a friend to participate in the Man & Woman of the Year campaign, so I decided to find out as much as possible to make sure I knew what I was getting into. I talked with my husband, Randy, Tracy Manning (our campaign manager), Lindsey (a good friend and a member of the MWOY committee), past candidates, and Torri… and I decided to go for it.

2014 is set up to be a breakout year for Somedia. We’ve worked hard to build a stellar reputation as a creative, trustworthy, and knowledgable social media management company in Atlanta and the South East, and our brand is growing and reaching more and more every day. Regardless of the campaign, Team Somedia would continue to support Si2C, host events, and raise funds for LLS, so MWOY is a logical choice for the project to support this year. The truthiness of it all is: MWOY is a marketing machine. It puts myself and Somedia up front and center in the city of Atlanta as part of this campaign. My face will be in the paper, on billboards, and hopefully on the news. I’m not super excited about the personal promotion of it all, but it gets the Somedia brand out there in such an amazing way, I can’t NOT do it. Additionally, I’m really looking forward to making new friends and business contacts in my fellow candidates, past candidates, sponsors, supporters, researchers, and patients.

Somedia does so much good stuff for Si2C, for LLS, for our local business community… and we use social media to increase the good we can do… so as far as branding is concerned, aligning the Somedia brand with LLS, Si2C, and the Man & Woman of the Year campaign is a perfect fit.

My hope is to share my journey of recruiting helpers, planning events, finding sponsors, gathering auction items, writing letters, and marketing the campaign to inspire others to follow suit in some way. I believe that in life an in business, our goals should be about more than making money and that the more you give the more you’ll receive. In fact, that’s my sorority’s mantra: “To receive much, you must give much.” I’m a Sigma Sigma Sigma, sisters.

My cause is blood cancer research and ending cancer once and for all. My hope is that someone might follow my journey, be inspired to contribute to the cause of their passion, and make an impact on this world in some positive way.

Now, one of the most important parts of the Man & Woman of the Year campaign is that it runs for 10 weeks: April 2 — June 14. I’m only allowed to raise actual funds during that period of time. However, for the next 90+ days before the campaign starts, I’ll be planning, blogging (figuring out Medium and how to tell my story here), soliciting sponsors for our finale event, finding auction items, writing letters, and getting ready to launch this rocket on April 2. Oh yeah, and continuing to grow Somedia into the business I dream it to be!