12/11/2012
Announcement: Warming Hut Hotties Retirement
Your heart is free. Have the courage to follow it. Braveheart
December, 2012
Dear Warming Hut Hotties Community,
It is hard to believe ten years of the Warming Hut Hotties have come and gone! So many people, so many special memories, friendships formed, and a powerful legacy of kindness, compassion, and community. We walked, crewed, volunteered and fundraised while holding the vision to eradicate breast cancer as a life threatening disease, in our lifetime.
10 Years of the Warming Hut Hotties
This was another year of amazing accomplishments while we shared the road with old and new friends. If you missed the Reunion Party, here is the 2012 Training Walk-umentary slideshow: Part One: https://vimeo.com/54483425
Part Twohttps://vimeo.com/54808857.
Enjoy!
On behalf of our community and the Board of In Our Lifetime, I would like to thank Marsha, Teresa, Michele and Sandra for their hard work as team leaders for the Avon Walk and 3 Day events this year.
The Avon Walk team raised $20,002, the 3 Day Team raised $102,999 and the Immediate Impact Breast Cancer Walk raised $109,464 which brings our 2012 Fundraising Total to $232,465! Truly wonderful. CONGRATULATIONS!
Our ten year fundraising total is a staggering $3,197,675. Three. million. dollars. Wow! There is no other way to say it but thank you! It is gratifying to think of the many, many, many people who have been helped by the funds we raised for breast cancer over all of those years.
I can only express deep gratitude to each and every one of the members of our community, and everyone who has supported us, for being a part of it all. It has been simply magical.
Retiring the Warming Hut Hotties Team
In the summer of 2011, I made the decision that this would be the last year of the Warming Hut Hotties team. As such, the Board of In Our Lifetime has made the decision to not renew the Warming Hut Hottie teams as a project. Respecting the upset the Komen/Planned Parenthood controversy created within the team, we decided to delay this announcement until the completion of this year's events. At the end of this year, the Warming Hut Hotties team will be retired.
The ten year/$3 million mark is a phenomenal way to close the book on this remarkable once-in-a-lifetime experience and end the Warming Hut Hotties team on a high. For my reflections on the gift of this community, please see this blog post.
Our community is not disbanding. We are taking this opportunity to regroup under the full umbrella of our nonprofit, In Our Lifetime.
We share a sense of ownership of the Warming Hut Hotties team, deep pride in our community and our accomplishments. Saying goodbye to something beloved is always difficult, but even great things come to end. Whether you have been a hottie since 2003, or you joined the team this year, I have always said, "Once a hottie, always a hottie!" Now we can hold that feeling in our hearts.
Planning for 2013
As people begin to make plans for event participation in 2013, with respect for the hundreds of past team members and our collective history, I ask that the Warming Hut Hotties (or some variation of “hotties") name and traditional "schwag" not be used. Please honor this request with gratitude for the thousands of hours many team members have volunteered in service to the Avon Walk, the 3 Day and the team.
People continuing to participate in the Avon Walk, Susan G. Komen 3 Day or other breast cancer events can take the strong foundation and positive experience of being a part of the Warming Hut Hotties and use them as seeds for creating the vision for new teams. Take flight into the open space where the Warming Hut Hotties once dwelled. It is full of possibility!
Moving Forward with In Our Lifetime
As we move into 2013, the Board of In Our Lifetime will be focused on growing the nonprofit, creating meaningful and impactful breast cancer related projects in the Bay Area and growing our event, the Immediate Impact Breast Cancer Walk. This is the path our hearts are leading us on, and we hope to have your support in this decision and the important work we have ahead of us. We invite you to be involved and move forward into the next ten years with In Our Lifetime.
Wishing you all the best on your journey, wherever that road may lead you. With deep respect and gratitude,
Linda Imlay
Founder, Warming Hut Hotties
Board Chair, In Our Lifetime, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
