“There’s no such thing as can’t. Just can’t yet!”
That’s what my father would tell me before helping me back on my bike or sending me off to study for a test or practice for a dance show. And ultimately, whenever I successfully completed my task, he’d say, “See, I was right, and I’m proud of you.” Those words were more precious than gold to me.
I recently had to face the biggest challenge of my life so far, without my father to cheer me on with his words of wisdom—because this time, the challenge was dealing with his death. Unfortunately, my father’s struggle against cancer came to an end on April 10, 2015. He was 59.
Cancer, that insidious disease that creeps into our cells without us knowing, will so
on affect half of all Canadians if we don’t take action to stop it. In his song “Quand c’est,” Belgian singer Stromae likens the disease to a terrifying crab. Some people manage to beat it, but others, like my father, are not as fortunate. And the scars left by his passing are deep and numerous.
This disease—which indiscriminately strikes fathers, mothers, children, siblings, grandparents, cousins, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and even strangers you meet in line at the store—sparked something in me this year. I wanted to do something, because to do nothing was to admit defeat.
Some people are lucky enough to have their cancer detected early enough to be treated. So there is still hope that research may one day lead to a cure that wipes out this devastating disease. What I’m asking for today is that we all come together and help advance medical research so that more and more people will survive this disease.
My father may no longer be here to spur me on, but I never cease to be amazed by the generosity and support of all those involved in this project, as well as the dedication and courage of the volunteers at the Canadian Cancer Society—people like Martha Moore, who received the Medal of Courage, the Canadian Cancer Society’s highest distinction, at the Gala des Grands Chefs in the Outaouais region in October. She received the medal in recognition for her outstanding courage in her struggle against cancer and her immeasurable contribution as a volunteer in the fight against the disease.
Prep
It all started with a desire to do something. I talked about it to my coworker Mélanie, who threw her hat in the ring, no questions asked as usual. There were now two of us, with an idea, and a cause we both believed in. We don’t work in marketing for nothing, so the next step was to come up with a plan and get it approved.
In my blog post entitled The Perfect House for a Young Family, I had the chance to talk about Lauzon’s social engagement. If you read it, you won’t be surprised to learn that it was easy to get the company’s support for the project. Lauzon already participates in the Relay for Life, and its recent head shave campaign in May raised $5,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society.
With the company on board, my idea would now become a reality.
Setup
“What could we use to tie in with our fundraising campaign?” A work of art, of course! So we contacted Linda Laflamme, who immediately agreed to donate a unique canvas that she would paint especially for the occasion. A painting depicting the courage and hope of those battling cancer, as well as the setbacks they must overcome and the natural ebb and flow of their morale, like the ocean tides caressing the beach. Atlantis.
“We’re also going to need a visual for the campaign.” But not just any visual. Something beautiful, warm, and inviting; something unique that goes hand in hand with the painting, the cause, and Lauzon. So we approached our 3D image supplier Kub Studio to talk about our project, and they jumped at the chance to donate the perfect visual for our campaign!
“A visual means posters!” Once again, we reached out to one of our contacts. The first company we called, MC Graphique, agreed straightaway to print all the materials we needed for our Canadian fundraiser—no matter what we needed!
“We live in a media-driven world, so we’re obviously gonna need a video!” We had the considerable good fortune to be put in contact with an agency we’d never heard of before, La Shoppe. They agreed to create a unique video worthy of the biggest fundraising campaigns. La Shoppe found seven people touched by our cause who kindly agreed to appear in front of the camera. Another agency, Ice VFX Studio, volunteered to handle postproduction. The fruit of this collaborative effort exceeded all our expectations!
“Now we have to spread the word!” We turned to our digital content specialists at DAC Group and our public relations specialists at Gail Bergman PR. Once again, both were happy to help us!
Some would say we were lucky, but the sad reality is that cancer has personally affected each of the people we approached.
Launch
The launch is a critical part of every campaign. And we were fortunate to be able to kick ours off at the 11th Gala des grands chefs de l’Outaouais, on October 24. As a sponsor of the event, Lauzon Flooring put the painting donated by Linda Laflamme up for the silent auction. The painting alone brought in $5,700, and the event raised almost $180,000 in all! We all had a wonderful time thanks to the hard work of the many volunteers from the region where Lauzon Flooring is based. It just goes to show that we can accomplish a lot when we work together.
We presented the campaign at our annual sales and marketing meeting last week, and it goes without saying that all those present were touched by the cause and determined to make the campaign a success.
We’ll be talking up the initiative throughout the company in the coming weeks, and I am confident the response will be outstanding. Because the Lauzon commitment is also shared by all the wonderful employees who help shape the company day after day.
Campaign
I stumbled upon this saying one day: “You must be the change that you wish to see in the world.” Well, I encourage you to be this change. I ask you to join Lauzon Flooring, and all of our remarkable suppliers who helped make this initiative possible, and give generously to our fundraiser in support of the Canadian Cancer Society.
Let us work together to support research in the fight against cancer.
JOIN US AND MAKE A DONATION by clicking here.
Every donation of $10 or more is eligible for a tax credit.
Conclusion
Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to this campaign. Without you, all this would not have been possible.
It is a privilege for us to tell you that with all your participation, we were able to donate all together a total of $12,000 for cancer research.
Thank you all!