It’s a celebration here at Blue Hydrangea Tea Party, as we look at the reports that have come in from all of the BHTP events…We are so pleased with this year’s response and with achieving, yet another, milestone - This year we broke records for both attendance and contributions!

We had several large events, which boosted our overall attendance record. This year we can say that hundreds of women participated in Blue Hydrangea Tea Party events in 2008. We can also safely say that financial contributions to various ovarian cancer awareness agencies were at a record high. In this year alone, we have matched the total amount contributed in the first two years (2006 and 2007). We are only slightly shy of doubling our total from last year. In 2007, our grand total was $8470 and for 2008 we are holding at $15,050! If there are ladies who would like to host summer events, we will add their totals to this year’s grand total and hopefully get closer to another record. But, this steady increase each year is so encouraging to us. We are humbled. We’d like to thank those who served the cause of ovarian cancer awareness with their time, energy, and financial support! Here are the results as they have been reported:

April 20, 2008
Ovarian cancer survivor and volunteer for Ovarian Cancer Awareness of Kentucky (O.A.K.), Cindy Adams, chaired the committee for a progressive tea party in the historic shopping district of LaGrange, Kentucky. 100% of each donation of $10 or more went to the O.A.K. Cindy reports that they raised $2,370. They hope to make this a yearly event. Great work, Cindy!

May 3 - 10, 2008
Ovarian cancer survivor, Missy Lafave, donated a portion of her sales at The Marketplace at Alpena, to the Alpena Cancer Center, in Alpena, Michigan. She also collected donations from customers in her week long “tea party.” The combined total was $2,136. The event was so warmly embraced that she hopes to do it again next year! Missy reports that the event was more successful than she had expected, and she was humbled by the support of her customers. Thank you, Missy - another creative way to raise awareness for ovarian cancer!

May 3, 2008
Amanda Beachboard hosted a tea party in Delaware to benefit the NOCC - Delaware Division. She reports that “it was awesome!” Eleven ladies attended and they raised $225. Thank you so much, Mandy, for getting involved to bring other women into the “circle of awareness.” Kudos to you!

May 9, 2008
The Tiara Tea Society Chairperson, Regina Gately, planned and hosted an event in conjunction with the Community Association Management of Sun City in Huntley, Illinois, to benefit the NOCC - Illinois Division. Over 200 women attended and proceeds from the event totaled $2,250. Regina is already thinking about next year - Bravo!

May 9, 2008
The Riverbanks Region of the South Carolina Ovarian Cancer Foundation (a partner member of the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance/OCNA) was the beneficiary of an event sponsored by South Carolina Oncology Associates and the SCOA Cares Foundation. Dianne Neglia, Jane Williams, and the other members of the BHTP committee of the SCOCF-Riverbanks Region and Meredith Anderson of SCOA and the SCOA Cares Foundation worked for months behind the scenes to prepare for this event, which was open to the public. It was held at 12:00noon at The Hall (formerly Sterling Garden Center), 320 Senate St., Columbia, SC and raised $2,100 for the SCOCF-Riverbanks Region. Congratulations on this successful event and we hope that it brings great benefit to the women in your area!

May 10, 2008
Ovarian cancer survivor and “veteran” hostess, Candy Carberry, hosted her annual tea party in New York to benefit the Gilda Radner Familial Ovarian Cancer Registry . This year Candy nearly doubled her normal thousand dollar donation to this agency! To date, she reports that they raised $1,900. Candy’s guests have donated nearly four thousand dollars in the three years she has been a BHTP hostess. Candy, this is quite a record -Thank you for your dedication to us and to the GRFOCR!

May 10, 2008
Lisa Sutton, a “former-tea-party-guest-turned-hostess,” hosted a tea party in New York to benefit the OCNA. Including some outside donations, the guests who attended her party contributed to the $565 total that will go to her beneficiary. Lisa used creative methods to secure these donations and we are lucky to have her working on behalf of ovarian cancer awareness!

May 10, 2008
Ovarian cancer survivor, Melanie Finley, hosted a tea party in Florida to benefit a newly formed foundation there. They raised $1000. We look forward to hearing details from your party, Melanie. Great job!

May 10, 2008
Diana Fierro hosted a gathering of friends in New York to benefit Gilda’s Club of White Plains and raised $500 for them. Thanks for your support, Diana!

May 10, 2008
Blanche West and her group at the River Valley chapter of the NOCC hosted a community event at the Reynolds Cancer Support House in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The event drew just over 60 people and raised $1615 for the NOCC. A share will go to the local cancer support organization to be used for ovarian cancer awareness. We can’t wait to share the details of this wonderful day in Fort Smith. Super leadership, Blanche!

May 10, 2008
Kathy Church and her daughter hosted a Mother-Daughter tea party in South Carolina to benefit the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. The younger women, home from college, and their mothers raised $390 for their beneficiary, the OCRF. We’re especially happy to hear that these young women are getting involved in ovarian cancer awareness - Congratulations on a successful party!

We will update this listing as we receive information. Included in our overall total was a $200 donation to the South Carolina Ovarian Cancer Foundation made by the family of Ann Camp McCune, in whose memory Blue Hydrangea Tea Party was established.

As we look forward to the summer season, we will post information regarding ovarian cancer awareness, as well as Blue Hydrangea Tea Party. We encourage you to share your thoughts on the subject of ovarian cancer. We have a category that we call Ovarian Cancer Chatter, where we post information you provide to us regarding this disease or the other efforts out there to raise awareness about it. Awhile back, we shared that we had participated in the Handbags for Hope event held by an agency in South Carolina (the South Carolina Ovarian Cancer Foundation). We will participate, again, this year and will bring you information on that, as we receive it. So, please feel free share other information with us that might be helpful to the cause of ovarian cancer awareness or to ovarian cancer patients. We’d be happy to provide links to helpful websites, as well.

Thank you for a great year and we look forward to hearing from those of you who’d like to host Blue Hydrangea Tea Party events over the summer!
With much appreciation~
Elizabeth & Jennie