MANITOULIN—Barb Baker of Little Current brought with her in her move from Ottawa with husband Dale not only two successful businesses (Blades and Things and SUMthing.ca), but a rather unique breast cancer fundraiser too.
There are a few Islanders, not to mention local MPs and MPPs too, who are donning ‘boob scarves’ these days. Yep. Boob scarves. And they look exactly like they sound. Coming in shades of pink or white, instead of the typical fringe at the end of the scarf one will find a breast with a nipple, encircled with embroidery that reads ‘support breast cancer research’ and a pink breast cancer ribbon too.
Ms. Baker said she first came up with the idea while still living in Ottawa. A friend’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and decided that she, along with three of her friends, wanted to run in the CIBC Run for the Cure but needed to raise the money to do so. Ms. Baker got busy and sewed the scarves, selling them and having husband Dale’s business Blades and Things match the money raised, totaling $500. She then sought out telecommunications giant Telus to match that amount, bringing the total to $1,000.
Ms. Baker said her mother, mother-in-law and cousin have all been affected by breast cancer. “It’s a cause we’ve been well aware of.”
The recent highly successful Dress for the Cause breast cancer fundraising tea organized by the Little Current United Church’s Outreach Committee gave Ms. Baker the perfect opportunity to sell her scarves with a purpose and she did just that—they were a popular item with 22 being sold. She made 25 in all and the other three had already been spoken for. She also sought to give the scarf an Island twist, asking Little Current’s KD Designs to do the embroidery, which they gladly did free of charge. She also approached Manitoulin Transport for a matching donation.
Once the proceeds were matched by Blades and Things Ms. Baker approached Manitoulin Transport who gladly ‘matched the match,’ bringing the total to $2,000, and this time, the funds will be staying on Manitoulin and donated to the chemotherapy program at the Manitoulin Health Centre in Mindemoya.
To reach Ms. Baker, email her at bladesandthings@gmail.com or call her at 705-368-3114.
