Calendar Girl Blog: The Guelph Mercury
This story appeared in yesterday's paper.
Breast calendar an 'owner's manual': creator
GUELPH (Sep 26, 2006)
Sue Richards' dining room table is packed with hundreds of 2007 calendars.
It's not that the Guelph photographer can't wait for the new year. It's just that she knows once January comes, the market for her annual Breast of Canada Calendar will dwindle.
After six years of producing her once-controversial calendar, her efforts to support breast health awareness are making it easier for women to talk about their problems and seek medical advice earlier.
"We can run, walk and paddle for the cure, but what can we do to help educate women about breast health and breast cancer prevention?" she asks.
The calendar came out of the entrepreneur's interest when, in 2001, she Googled the search term "breast health" following a discussion on breast health issues with a girlfriend.
"Imagine my surprise and shock when nothing came up. Instead the prompt asked 'Do you mean breast cancer?' " Richards recalls.
She realized there were very few resources available for the eight out of every nine women who did not have breast cancer.
Thus, the first Breast of Canada calendar was born, based on a similar idea by the Women of Rylstone in Great Britain, the inspiration for the popular 2003 movie Calendar Girls.
There was no overt nudity in the Breast of Canada calendar, but even the suggestion a calendar would feature female breasts caught the public's attention.
Richards' calendar included information on subjects ranging from how negative body image can impact breast health to hormone replacement therapy, breastfeeding and the safety of beauty care products.
"That first calendar read like a proactive breast owner's manual," Richards said.
Volunteer models posed tastefully for each month.
Now an annual photo contest provides the calendar's images. Entries from across Canada attest to the recognition the calendar has earned over the years.
Despite the attention and controversy in the first year and the word of mouth for six years of publication, the calendar has not proven to be a strong fundraiser. But it has succeeded in making women more aware of breast health.
Richards sold close to 2,500 calendars last year.
"I had a Guelph woman tell me that in her mind, Breast of Canada has achieved tremendous results in Guelph, just because it is a Guelph project. The awareness level of all her peers is significantly higher than it was a few years ago."
Richards has produced the calendar at the cost of her own financial health.
"It is disappointing that people can do incredible work and not get paid for it and people can do terrible work and get paid bags of money for it," she said.
"I've created meaningful work for myself but I haven't created the meaningful paycheque to go with it."
The Canadian Breast Cancer Network has remained supportive of this grassroots initiative for the past five years.
The 2007 Breast of Canada calendar is already available in Guelph at the Bookshelf on Quebec Street, Macondo Books on Wilson Street, On The Verge on Wyndham Street North and the Community Roots Collective at Yorkshire and Suffolk Streets.
It can also be ordered online at www.breastofcanada.com.
On Sept. 29, the launch for the 2007 calendar will be held at 8 p.m. at the Youth Music Centre at 75 Cardigan Street. Admission is $5 per person.
The calendar sells for $19.95 Canadian plus tax and shipping
-30-
Calendar Girl is very grateful for the support of the Guelph Mercury.
Calendar Girl
Tags: Calendar Girl Blog, calendar girl blog, Breast of Canada Calendar, Sue Richards, middle of normal. Guelph, education.
Breast calendar an 'owner's manual': creator
GUELPH (Sep 26, 2006)
Sue Richards' dining room table is packed with hundreds of 2007 calendars.
It's not that the Guelph photographer can't wait for the new year. It's just that she knows once January comes, the market for her annual Breast of Canada Calendar will dwindle.
After six years of producing her once-controversial calendar, her efforts to support breast health awareness are making it easier for women to talk about their problems and seek medical advice earlier.
"We can run, walk and paddle for the cure, but what can we do to help educate women about breast health and breast cancer prevention?" she asks.
The calendar came out of the entrepreneur's interest when, in 2001, she Googled the search term "breast health" following a discussion on breast health issues with a girlfriend.
"Imagine my surprise and shock when nothing came up. Instead the prompt asked 'Do you mean breast cancer?' " Richards recalls.
She realized there were very few resources available for the eight out of every nine women who did not have breast cancer.
Thus, the first Breast of Canada calendar was born, based on a similar idea by the Women of Rylstone in Great Britain, the inspiration for the popular 2003 movie Calendar Girls.
There was no overt nudity in the Breast of Canada calendar, but even the suggestion a calendar would feature female breasts caught the public's attention.
Richards' calendar included information on subjects ranging from how negative body image can impact breast health to hormone replacement therapy, breastfeeding and the safety of beauty care products.
"That first calendar read like a proactive breast owner's manual," Richards said.
Volunteer models posed tastefully for each month.
Now an annual photo contest provides the calendar's images. Entries from across Canada attest to the recognition the calendar has earned over the years.
Despite the attention and controversy in the first year and the word of mouth for six years of publication, the calendar has not proven to be a strong fundraiser. But it has succeeded in making women more aware of breast health.
Richards sold close to 2,500 calendars last year.
"I had a Guelph woman tell me that in her mind, Breast of Canada has achieved tremendous results in Guelph, just because it is a Guelph project. The awareness level of all her peers is significantly higher than it was a few years ago."
Richards has produced the calendar at the cost of her own financial health.
"It is disappointing that people can do incredible work and not get paid for it and people can do terrible work and get paid bags of money for it," she said.
"I've created meaningful work for myself but I haven't created the meaningful paycheque to go with it."
The Canadian Breast Cancer Network has remained supportive of this grassroots initiative for the past five years.
The 2007 Breast of Canada calendar is already available in Guelph at the Bookshelf on Quebec Street, Macondo Books on Wilson Street, On The Verge on Wyndham Street North and the Community Roots Collective at Yorkshire and Suffolk Streets.
It can also be ordered online at www.breastofcanada.com.
On Sept. 29, the launch for the 2007 calendar will be held at 8 p.m. at the Youth Music Centre at 75 Cardigan Street. Admission is $5 per person.
The calendar sells for $19.95 Canadian plus tax and shipping
-30-
Calendar Girl is very grateful for the support of the Guelph Mercury.
Calendar Girl
Tags: Calendar Girl Blog, calendar girl blog, Breast of Canada Calendar, Sue Richards, middle of normal. Guelph, education.
posted by Sue Richards at 3:34 PM
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