Pink Ribbon of the Month, May 2011: Dietz & Watson
On Sunday, May 8, 2011, thousands of people at the Komen Philadelphia Race for the Cure will smile, stick a few bills into a six-foot pig, and walk away filled with pride knowing they have helped make a true difference in the fight against breast cancer. This opportunity for all generations--this campaign that in its first year raised more than $50,000 to save lives--never would have existed if not for our creative, compassionate friends at Dietz & Watson, Inc.
For May, we are proud to honor the entire team at Dietz & Watson with our "Pink Ribbon of the Month." Although Dietz and Watson has only been a part of the Komen Philadelphia Affiliate family for three years, their heart and passion have breathed incredible life into the Komen Philadelphia Race for the Cure, as well as the entire Komen community fighting to end breast cancer in these most challenging of economic times.
When the Komen Philadelphia Affiliate first came up with the idea of "Pretty In Pig" to help reinforce the idea that every penny counts when empowering communities against breast cancer, that's all we had... an IDEA. We knew bringing something of this magnitude to life would take a corporate sponsor with an equally large--or larger--commitment to giving back to its community. And so, we reached out to Dietz & Watson with the sponsorship opportunity, thinking that their business made a perfect fit for this unique campaign. What we found was much more than a sponsor--we found a partner who was clearly devoted to not only partnering with the Komen Philadelphia Affiliate, but also to partnering with every man, woman and child in the breast cancer movement.
In the beginning, we did not know that Dietz & Watson's CFO, Cindy Yingling, was a breast cancer survivor. Nor did we know of the other cancer survivors in their family. Certainly these cancer journeys have intensified the team's commitment to "Pretty In Pig;" however, it is not the tie that binds them together in their breast cancer activism. That tie is plain and simply a corporate culture founded on 1) giving back to the community that helped make their business what it is today, and 2) upholding the integrity of the Dietz & Watson name by leaving a legacy of health, happiness and richness in life for all future generations.
And so, when the opportunity of "Pretty In Pig" presented itself in 2009, Dietz & Watson jumped in with both feet, lead by Cindy's enthusiasm, creativity, resourcefulness and passion. They underwrote and oversaw the production of our first larger-than-life pig and hundreds of piglets which "ran rampant" throughout the community collecting cash for the cures. They empowered their own team to get involved, delivering and collecting piggybanks from owners of stores that sell Dietz & Watson products. In addition, they made substantial donations to the Race for the Cure.
When all was said and done, when our 6-foot "Pretty In Pig" gal made her debut at the Komen Philadelphia Race for the Cure two years ago, in less two hours, she turned all the loose change walking around the Race site into almost $7,000 for the cause! Add in the other campaign funds raised by area schools and businesses in the months leading up to the Race, and the total for the 2009 "Pretty In Pig" campaign came to more than $50,000!
True to her we-can-always-do-more attitude, Cindy and the Dietz & Watson team once again revved up the campaign in 2010. At the beginning of this Race season, confident our community could multiply the 2009 fundraising results many times over, Dietz & Watson sponsored the creation and "tour" of an additional four large pigs and hundreds of piglets. For months they have been out in the community raising funds, and all those "little piggies" will soon be returning home, full of MORE cash for the cures!
To build more awareness for the campaign in 2011, Dietz & Watson even donated outdoor advertising space to The Affiliate. As they have done since day one, they also offered more of their corporate resources and embraced other partners to take the billboard campaign to the next level-maximizing exposure and minimizing costs to The Affiliate to absolutely ZERO dollars.
"There are simply no words to adequately thank Cindy and Dietz & Watson for all they have done to support the Komen Philadelphia Affiliate and empower the local and global breast cancer movement," said Elaine I. Grobman, Executive Director of the Komen Philadelphia Affiliate. "But the moment you meet any member of their team, you know immediately, they are not doing this for thanks or praise. For them, seeing a child laughing as she puts $5 in the big pig... and knowing they are helping assure she grows up in a world without breast cancer... is the ultimate thanks. I am confident, with compassionate, faith-filled friends like Dietz & Watson by our side, that world is very close at hand."
Please visit: http://www.komenphiladelphia.org/2011-race-pretty-in-pig-gallery/ and http://www.komenphiladelphia.org/2011-race-community-and-sponsor-celebs-gallery/ to find about more about our Pretty in Pig Ambassadors.
Pictured: Thanks to Dietz and Watson and generous partners including ABC Imaging, Phase III, Clear Channel and Alex Wagner who "jumped through hoops" to secure donations of space, production and installation, nearly a dozen Pretty In Pig billboards greeted commuters for several weeks before the Race.