Mona

Mona Patel, this “Why I Climb” is for you!

Mona is one of my Survivor Summit teammates and a fellow Yankee-turned-Austinite. She originally hails from Boston, and has traveled pretty extensively before ending up in our hipster Texas town. She works at LIVESTRONG, and her reasons for doing the climb are very personal, too: she lost her brother to cancer a number of years ago.

Mona is always doing her part to help in the fight against cancer, making her an incredible teammate and advocate for the cause. Additionally, we all relied on her strength and familiarity with mountains on this trip; she’s summitted Kilimanjaro before, as well as Denali, and a slew of mountains in Latin America.

But one the best things about Mona is that she’s not much of a self-promoter. She could go on an on about all the amazing stuff she’s done—from stand up paddle boarding in Dam That Cancer, to running marathons. Instead, she has a quiet sense of confidence, and is always happy to help others. She stuck by Mindy’s side for hours on end, gave me one hell of a pep talk before heading up the Barranco Wall, and took so many beautiful pictures of our climb so that we would all be able to remember it for many years to come.

One of the words I think of when I think of Mona is “peaceful.” She taught me the value in having a calm, level-headed, stable, and dependable presence when tackling a challenge. I’m thankful for this lesson, and so excited to know a new face in Austin as a result of Survivor Summit. Today, Mona, I climb for you.

Tonight: Dam that Cancer

The Flatwater Foundation’s signature fundraising event, Dam that Cancer, is tonight! It’s a 21-mile stand up paddle board journey that aims to share how important mental health is to overcoming a cancer diagnosis. Money raised support cancer programs and support services for patients and families. This year’s “We Paddle, You Party” celebration starts at Hula Hut at 5 p.m. I’ll be volunteering with this awesome group of people, and I hope a lot of folks come out to support this worthy cause!

Dam That Cancer

Dam That Cancer is a stand-up paddle board event and signature fundraiser for The Flatwater Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides access to mental health services for worthy individuals and families affected by cancer.

Every paddler raises over $1,500 for The Flatwater Foundation and travels the entire length of Lake Austin, from Mansfield Dam to Tom Miller Dam—21 miles in all. Proceeds from this event provide access to mental health and wellness programs for those affected by cancer, who otherwise could not afford it.

This summer’s third annual Dam That Cancer fundraiser will take place on Monday, June 4, 2012, with a “We Paddle, You Party” fundraising celebration at the finish line at Hula Hut after the paddle. I’m volunteering at this year’s party and I’m honored to be supporting such a cool cause! You can support them, too, by donating to a paddler or coming to the event.

So come out for some great summer fun on June 4!

Why I Climb

This is my next post for my “why I climb” series, and is one of many reasons why I’m determined to climb Kilimanjaro with Survivor Summit to fight cancer…

Today I climb for Tere Holmes and the Cancer Support Community Central Texas organization.

I had the pleasure of meeting Tere in the spring of 2011, when I was the Texas 4000 for Cancer ATLAS Ride Volunteer Coordinator. She had contacted our organization offering to help, and I jumped at the opportunity to place her group at one of our Rest Stops along the 50 mile ride from Cedar Park to Lampasas, Texas. So, we scheduled a meeting not too far from the Texas 4000 offices at Panera, and I was ready to give her and her group’s co-founder, Kate Cleary, the lowdown on everything that I needed for their group of Rest Stop volunteers to do.

When I met Tere and Kate, I was instantly greeted with warmth and kindness, and a deep sense of compassion and understanding for the cause. And Tere had this unparalleled knack for reaching out to others and networking. I like to think of her as what Malcolm Gladwell might refer to as a “connector.” In his 2000 book The Tipping Point, Gladwell describes the connector as someone in a community who knows large numbers of people, and who is in the habit of making introductions—essentially, the social equivalent of a computer network hub. The fantastic thing about connectors is that they are truly amazing individuals who know people across an array of social, cultural, professional, and economic circles, and make a habit of introducing people who work or live in different circles for the benefit of a community. That’s Tere. She knows a lot of people, she is so kind to all of them, and she has a unique way of networking with others for a good cause.

This ability enabled Tere to serve as co-founder and Executive Director for Cancer Support Community of Central Texas, a 501(c)(3) partnership between the Wellness Community and Gilda’s Club which provides support for those facing a cancer diagnosis. Tere is not only a connector, but also a breast cancer survivor, so she understands on a firsthand basis the need for this type of support system in the central Texas region.

So, Tere rounded a group of volunteers to support one of rest stops at our ATLAS Ride. It was evident at our first meeting that I didn’t need to worry at all about coordinating her rest stop; she had absolutely everything covered, down to matching CSCCT t-shirts for her volunteers. I was so happy to have her group’s help, and excited to have made such a thoughtful connection within the cancer community.

Several weeks after the ATLAS Ride, I decided to return the favor and thank Tere for her work at ATLAS; I volunteered with Tere’s group at the Flatwater Foundation’s Dam That Cancer party, a 21 mile stand-up paddle boarding event that raises money and awareness for cancer. I had a great time volunteering and getting to know Tere further. In short, I left the event that day feeling truly blessed to have crossed paths with her.

Over this past year, Tere has worked to secure the official charter for the CSCCT, launched its web site and newsletter, and has helped lead the transition from a simple idea about helping others into a full-blown organization that actively serves the cancer community. Traveling tirelessly from one city to next to get the word out, Tere doesn’t seem to slow down, and because of that, I know that CSCCT is going to do great things for many years to come.

She’s a survivor, an inspiration, and now: a donor to my cause! Thanks, Tere!

I seriously couldn’t be more grateful to have her support, as well as a reason to keep climbing. I climb for Tere Holmes, the awesome work that she’s done with CSCCT so far, and all the great things she’ll do in the future for cancer survivors, too. When I meet someone new during my journey with Survivor Summit and when I’m heading to the top of Kilimanjaro, I’ll definitely be thinking of Tere’s story to keep propelling me forward.

And speaking of the word “forward,” I’m going to stress something that Tere makes a point of saying often: remember to pay it forward today.

So, get out there, meet someone new, and make a connection for positive change.