FAMILY REACH
This one was pretty special. I have been an Ambassador for Family Reach since 2006 or so. Over the years I hosted seminars when I was still teaching martial arts, run Spartan Races, and have participated in numerous holiday rides - all to fundraise for Family Reach and their mission to lighten the burden that comes with a pediatric cancer diagnosis.
Sometime after taking a new job, I was a bit stuck for how I could help, when I pitched an idea that was luckily accepted. My thought was to spend the day drawing with the kids undergoing treatment at Tufts Children's Hospital (the Floating Hospital, which will be missed).
The demands that the treatment can have on the kids and other factors out of our control soon made the original concept not really an option, so we adapted.
I came up with a few prompts, the only one I really remember is "What are you looking forward to when your treatment is over?" The drawings and answers were all over the board, but the joy and positivity that the kids conveyed in their drawings were crystal clear.
I was left with a series of drawings and no clue what to do next, until inspiration struck in the form of a collage I came across created by Aaron Sechrist (okPants).
The end result is their drawings used to form the Family Reach logo, which was then printed on shirts that were given to the kids and have also been proudly worn by various Reach Athletes over the years.
I'd love to do it again.
