65 Roses to Raise Money for Cystic Fibrosis
I was invited by the Cystic Fibrosis foundation to live paint for their upcoming fundraiser in September, ”Hope Takes Flight!”
The foundation was started by a group of parents in 1955 and I was shocked to hear they actually have their own lab and are working toward finding a cure! There are only about 800 people in Indiana with cystic fibrosis and it is a genetic disease that affects mostly the lungs and pancreas. Because of the small amount of people that are born with it, funding is limited. If you want to come see me live paint with the community of those affected by Cystic Fibrosis in September please consider buying a ticket and helping to fund their research!
Here is my plan to raise money for the foundation:
Why a rose?
The 65 Roses story from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation website:
Mary G. Weiss became a volunteer for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in 1965 after learning that her three little boys had CF. Her duty was to call every civic club, social, and service organization seeking financial support for the mission. Mary’s 4-year-old son, Richard (Ricky), listened closely to his mother as she made each call.
After several calls, Richard came into the room and told his Mom, “I know what you are working for.” Mary was dumbstruck because Richard did not know what she was doing, nor did he know that he had cystic fibrosis.
With some trepidation, Mary asked, “What am I working for, Ricky?” He answered, “You are working for 65 Roses.” Mary was speechless.
He could not see the tears running down Mary’s cheeks as she stammered, “Yes, Ricky, I’m working for 65 Roses.”
Since 1965, the term “65 Roses” has been used by children of all ages to describe their disease. But, making it easier to say does not make CF any easier to live with each day.
The final result
Looking forward to the event in September and I will keep you updated on the project. If you have an event coming up I would love to brainstorm on how we can use live interactive art to engage your audience.