A Special Invite

to Men in Bras—a Pink October Breast Cancer Fundraiser hosted by Rachel

I’m asking for a favor. If you’re receiving this invite, you’re a woman who is dear to me. And I’m asking an even bigger favor of your guy. I am going to host a Men-in-Bras Breast Cancer Fundraiser and would like the men to be our champions…by wearing bras.

Here’s the quick rundown:

September: choose a bra and get or take a photo for the voting cards (I’ll design and have them printed and then deliver them to you.)
October: solicit votes ($1 each) for your guy and his bra
October 25: come celebrate with friends at the party of the year!

Thanks to Tammy at the former Cross Creek Cafe in Redmond for allowing me to borrow and modify her original idea. In addition to creating a welcoming restaurant with delicious food (crack fries!), Tammy hosted the annual Beer for Boobies and gave me the great honor of being a judge. Men in Bras is a spin-off of those fun nights out. Beer_for_Boobies_2012___Cross_Creek_Cafe_46

Did you know breast cancer deaths have been declining in the United States since 1989? Most attribute that decline to the awareness and fundraising efforts of local communities and national organizations. Despite the decline, 39,620 American women were expected to die of breast cancer in 2013. Still too many…. Here’s the role we can play:

We have a great party on October 25 for approximately 100 people.
I provide snacks, beer, wine, and music.
We crown a winner of our Men-in-Bras Pageant.
We raise money for local and national breast cancer care, support, treatment, and research.
We raise awareness of the need for continued research and support.

You and your guy buy, borrow, make, or design a bra for him to wear at our party on October 25.
1. It can be simple, like a Hanes cotton bra.
2. It can be fancy, like a Victoria’s Secret lacy contraption.
3. It can be fun, like a baby doll negligee.
4. It can be themed, like Ducks or Beavers, beer, classic cars, fishing, or Harleys (black leather).
5. There are photos at the bottom of this page from Beer for Boobies in Redmond the past couple years.
You take a photo that can be used in our October fundraising. (I’ll take the photo, if you want. If your guy is shy about being in a photo in a bra, we can get creative.)
We collect votes from October 1-25.
1. Voting is just $1 (or more). It’s a low barrier to entry.
2. We will have posters and voting forms at several locations in town.
3. You’ll also have cards for your guy that you can hand out to friends and family.
4. Facebook is our friend. The awareness part gets a boost if we do some of our friendly rivalry, trash-talking, and vote solicitation online.
We continue collecting dollars the night of the party and start a final count at 8:30 p.m.
1. The winner will receive a manly king’s crown, a nice prize, and the admiration of the whole town.
2. We dance, visit, party, have fun, and celebrate the king of the night and breast cancer awareness.

fisher-bra

I want this to be an affordable fundraiser for everyone. We all have competing priorities for our dollars.
- Tickets to the party are $20/person. You can see the invite/flyer here.
- I don’t expect anyone to pay a bunch of money for a bra.
- Someone can vote for your guy with just $1. More is welcome, of course, but $1 works, too.
My hope is to raise $2,500. All proceeds go to Sara’s Project (local) and the Susan G. Komen Fund (national).
- If we sell all 100 tickets for the party, that’s already $2,000.
- If we raise $500 in voting, we’ve met our goal.
- If we have just ten guys, that’s only $50 each. I have been told by a few folks that we’re going to go way above and beyond….
- I’m paying for all supplies or costs to host this (printing, beer, snacks, etc). All monies raised go to Sara’s Project and Komen.

devil-bra

Is your guy reluctant? Here are my thoughts on several worries.

Only Young Guys Do This

Caring about the women in their lives, breast cancer treatment and research, and being good sports is something all men do. Men of all ages are invited, especially those who have been around a while and witnessed cancer’s toll first hand.

Only Buff Guys Do This

Well, I guess that depends on what you mean by buff. If you mean carved and sculpted muscles, no. Men of all sizes and shapes do this. They’re each handsome, tough, and utterly attractive when baring their torsos for such a good cause. (See photos below for the great range of body styles.)

Only City Boys Do This

Wrong again. When I judged Beer for Boobies at Cross Creek in Redmond, there were as many loggers, hosses, firefighters, and ranchers as there were doctors, lawyers, pastors, and business owners.

Only Old Guys Do This

All ages are welcome. Tammy started Beer for Boobies, in Redmond, with a healthy dose of the firefighters who worked across the street. They ranged in age from early twenties to sixties.

Only Husbands Do This

This is a family-friendly event. I want to make sure we have a good presence of grown men, but the younger men in your life are welcome, too. The older men set the example for the boys watching and learning from them. Encourage your man first and use sons and grandsons as supporting cast or backup plans.

Only Wine Drinkers Do This

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Just…wrong. Beer drinkers, rejoice!

Ready? Sign Up Here.

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Photo Gallery

These photos are from the Beer for Boobies events at Cross Creek Cafe in Redmond. I hope they give you and your guy an idea of the people, personalities, and bras involved. Older men, younger men, desk workers, business owners, firefighters, teachers. They are men who care about women. When they have fun at the same time they’re doing good, it’s a win for all.