By Ruth Stergiou, Executive Director, PBWC

Every once in a while, something spontaneous happens that can change lives. Even more remarkable is when that spontaneity can inspire a group of people to change the lives of those around them.

If I recall, it was about 12:40 P.M., Thursday, May 4, 1995, after a Keynote address at the 6th Annual PBWC Conference. Just such a moment of spontaneity became part of the folklore that has encouraged PBWC to adopt the phrase, One Inspiration at a Time.

Twenty-two hundred strong had just seen a compelling film about breast cancer survivors scaling a challenging peak in South America. Nancy Noble, a survivor and one of the climbers was in attendance.

Emotions were running high, as they often can at the Conference. Women were inspired, proud and moved by what they had seen. Out of the blue, in the midst of applause, Lynn Martin, the former Secretary of Labor, took center stage.

She implored every woman to, “Put your hands in your wallet and let’s make a contribution right now and help fight this disease. Use cash, checks, whatever,” she challenged. She turned to Nancy and said, “What’s the name of your group again? There you go, Breast Cancer Fund. Put that right on your check!”.

What followed was truly remarkable. Women began emptying breadbaskets and filling them with cash and checks. As each table came forward, spilling their breadbaskets on the head table, I heard them say, “For my mother, for my sister, for my friend. It was truly moving.”

After a quick count, an amazing total of $17,400 had been collected! In the spirit of the moment, a representative from State Farm Insurance, one of our sponsors, came up to me and said, “We’ll match it.” It reminds me even today, that our sponsors have always understood the true spirit of PBWC.

$34,800 had been collected in under one hour! Every penny went to help each woman who battles her own breast cancer survive, using one inspiration at a time.