Faces of Courage - 2011 Calendar of Breast Cancer Survivors

Final funds raised exceed $32,000!

2011-05-04T21:31:00.000-04:00

As the year of fundraising draws to a close, we're proud to report that the calendar team has raised over $32,000 for radiation equipment for the Stronach REgional Cancer Center.

On June 2nd, 2011, Southlake will be unveiling the new donor wall and a special recognition ceremony will be held to recognize our efforts.

While none of us went into this project to be recognized, we are touched and honoured to feel so appreciated.

Watch the ERA and SNAP for a full report of the event!

At this time, I want to thank everyone who supported our efforts, financially and emotionally through this journey.

Julie Achtermeier

Upper Canada Mall Nov 20/21st weekend

2010-11-18T15:04:00.000-05:00

The sales continue and we need to reach our goal of at least $40,000 by Christmas! Currently we are sitting around $25,000.

Please consider buying a calendar or daytimer for a stocking stuffer and support this worthy cause!!

Thank you!
Julie

Calendar Sales raise $23,000 so far for Southlake!

2010-11-07T13:34:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone,

I must admit, I am not the best at staying on top of the blog updates as life is very busy with 2 kids and a writing project I am working on (updates on that next time).

We have done well with the sales so far but still have a ways to go!
Please consider buying some calendars for Christmas gifts or stocking stuffers to help us reach our goal!

If you know any companies willing to do a bulk order, please send me contact details so I can follow up!

Keep selling and buying, we're half way there!

Julie

Selling calendars at Southlake Wed, Oct 6th

2010-10-05T19:06:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone,
As we kick off October, I will be at Southlake selling calendars by Tim Hortons on the main level tomorrow from 10am-2pm.

The push is on now with 3 months left in the year and still needing to raise $40,000 to meet our goal and purchase the Ion Chamber Matrix.

Please support us and buy a calendar or daytimer for a gift, stocking stuffer or keepsake.

The calendars are also for sale in the new kiosk in the Atrium of the cancer centre. Spread the word, tell your friends and please buy a calendar or daytimer!!

Thanks for your support!
Julie

Sales reach $20,000!!

2010-09-09T14:19:00.000-04:00

Happy September everyone!

I hope you all had a great summer! I enjoyed my time with the kids immensely but I have to admit, I am glad to get back into the school routine again.

After 3 months of sales of the Faces of Courage calendar and journal, we have reached over $20,000 for Southlake's Regional Cancer Centre!

As we head into October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we hope to raise more awareness into our cause and sell, sell, SELL!!
We are 1/3 the way to our goal of buying the Ion Chamber Matrix for the radiation unit, which totals just under $60,000.

Stay tuned for a list of locations in October where you can find us!

Be well,
Julie

Calendars now on Sale at Southlake and Changes Boutique!

2010-08-12T14:12:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone is having a fantastic summer and enjoying the hot weather!
It could rain every day and it would still be better than last summer that I spent in chemo! :-)

Calendar sales are steady and with the fall fast approaching we expect it to start speeding up again. Stay tuned for fall events!

The calendars are now for sale at Southlake Regional Health center in the gift shop by Tim Hortons. Changes Boutique on Main Street is also carrying stock.
Pick up your copy today!

Stay tuned for more updates as summer winds down. I've been very busy with the kids so postings have been sparse but you an expect to start hearing more developments as we head into September.

Be well,
Julie

Thank you for all your support...

2010-07-14T11:10:00.004-04:00

Canada Day at Fairy Lake was a great success... a big thank you to everyone who purchased a calendar or daytimer in support of our project and received a Free Family Portrait with Jen van der Vecht Photography.

If you have not yet received your portrait via email, please contact Jen directly to inquire. There were one or two email addresses which did not work properly... :(

Jen

www.jensphotos.com

Keep those orders coming!!

2010-07-06T22:06:00.000-04:00

After a successful Canada Day booth ($680 raised!), the festivals have slowed for the rest of the summer, not to mention we all need a bit of a holiday! :-)
Collectively, we are nearing the $15,000 mark for monies raised, which is an awesome start to the sales cycle!

I'm personally looking forward to a couple of weeks away with my family for our annual camping trip - especially because my husband can't get a cell phone reception up on Georgian Bay! ha!

Keep those orders coming over the summer - there will always been someone watching over the facesofcourageorders@gmail.com email address and we hope that sales won't slow too much.

Stay tuned for our fall plans where sales will ramp up and we'll be taking full advantage of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

Have a great summer!

Julie

Canada Day Booth at Fairy Lake - July 1st!!

2010-06-22T17:46:00.000-04:00

We're barely out of the first month of calendar sales and doing very well!
We have raised over $10,000 so far!

The shows and festivals have been a bit disappointing so far but we're optomistic about the Canada Day event at Fairy Lake on July 1st.

We will be providing an awesome booth - photographer Jen van der Vecht will be offering a FREE portrait in our Canada day photo backdrop for anyone who purchases a calendar!

So come on out and visit our booth on Canada and support a great cause!!

Julie

'An Afternoon in June' event in Aurora

2010-06-11T12:51:00.000-04:00

Please come and visit our booth at the Timberlane Club in Aurora for 'An Afternoon in June' which is a fantastic fundraising event for the Stronach Regional cancer Centre at Southlake.

There will be a luncheon followed by a great vendor exhibit featuring clothes, jewellery, food, wine and many chances to win prizes such as a spa gift cert!

To attend the luncheon, tickets are $60 which includes lunch and an open wine bar.

To purchase tickets, please call Jennifer Buchanan at 647-200-6330

Hope to see you there!
Julie

Limited Edition, Fine Art Photographic Prints Available Soon:

2010-06-06T06:32:00.009-04:00

Within the next few weeks, I will be offering limited edition, fine art quality photographic prints of all the Faces of Courage Portraits and out takes from the portrait sessions. You will be able to view and order from the Faces of Courage Collection via my website.

To view the collection, visit my website: (press): jensphotos.com and go to "client galleries" page. Password for the Faces of Courage Collection is : courage

All prints will be available as Fine Art Prints. Each print will be custom printed, mounted with a beautiful custom matte, signed and limited.

Look to website in the coming days for gallery.

Jen,
Faces of Courage Photographer
www.jensphotos.com

Colour version of cover image; Jen van der Vecht Photography:

2010-06-05T07:36:00.006-04:00

To view all final Faces of Courage portraits, please visit Jen's BLOG at: (press link here): BLOG / Jen van der Vecht Photography Website

Running Room 5km Fun Run/Walk to support our project - Sunday, June 6th

2010-06-04T13:13:00.000-04:00

The next event to support the Faces of Courage Breast Cancer survivor calendar is this coming Sunday,June 6th at the Aurora Running Room at the 404 and Wellington Street East.

The event is $20 to register, starts at 8am and all proceeds go towards the calendar project. Since we are still a little short on the printing costs and dont want to take away from any of hte calendar sales to pay for it, we are hoping to raise enough from the run.
There will be great raffle prizes and awesome swag bags for the registrants.

It's a great cause and promises to be a great event!

Please register at http://www.runningroom.ca/ under June 6th events: Faces of Courage
or you can register the morning of, before 8am.

Jen van der Vecht will be taking photographs of the runners as well so this is a great opportunity to see the creative genius behind the calendar!

See you there!
Julie

Launch Party a Huge Success!

2010-06-03T23:10:00.000-04:00

The breakfast kickoff for the calendar sales was an enormous success yesterday! The breakfast was spectacular, and healthy, and the reception was fantastic.

ANews, the ERA and SNAP! were there to cover the event. See the link below for the ANews story which was great coverage of the launch.

http://www.anewsvideo.ca/

We sold 320 calendars in the 2 hour launch party and raised $6,400! A great start to the sales!

Thank you again Nature's Emporium so the amazing breakfast, great advertising and professional reception.

Jen's photos were spectacular on display on 20X30 poster boards and when they were unveiled, there wasn't a dry eye in the place!

Each photo tells a story all on its own and that message was well received by the crowd. Everyone raved about how profound they were.

You should be proud Jen, the photos were amazing!

Stay tuned to see all of the photos posted on our blog soon!

Julie

CBC News Segment link

2010-05-31T15:10:00.001-04:00

The CBC news piece aired last Friday and it was a great story!
Here is the link to the story. Skip along towards the end (this is the whole 1/2 hour news program), it's one of the last stories.
http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/News/Local_News/Toronto/ID=1507099591

See you at the launch! Two days to go until the big reveal!

Julie

Still waiting for CBC to air the news segment! ARGH!

2010-05-27T22:14:00.000-04:00

Our segment kept getting bumped this week so we're patiently waiting for when it will air (ok, ok, so a plane crash WAS bigger news than this calendar story...)

I am learning that this is just the way of the news. We seem to go in circles with reporters and stations showing interest but not always a commitment until the last minute, there they are to capture the story! ;-)

As I get the word of when this will finally air, I will let you all know!

Hang tight!
Julie

Come see us at the Winfall Ecology Festival and Artisan's Festivals in June!

2010-05-19T21:32:00.000-04:00

If you'd like to meet some of the "calendar girls" in person or purchase a calendar or daytimer on the spot, please visit us at the following sales venues:

June 12/13th - Winfall Ecology Festival at Fairy Lake
June 19/20th - Artisan's Festival at Fairy Lake

I'll keep you posted on any other venues as we confirm them!

CBC Interview to air Monday, May 24th - Victoria Day

2010-05-14T13:48:00.001-04:00

The interview with CBC went very well this morning and Debbie was specifically interested in the angle of so many young women being diagnosed. In our calendar group alone, it's 5/12 women 40 or younger; 9/12 under 50 years. It's an important story that needs to be told.

The story will air on Monday, May 24th - Victoria Day. I believe it's to be on the 6:00 news but that hasn't been confirmed yet.

I hope it catches on and we can get some great attention for the launch!

CBC News Interview Friday, May 14th - News at 6pm

2010-05-11T12:27:00.000-04:00

CBC News has requested an interview with me and one of our models, Jenn Forbes to talk about our story and promote the calendar launch. The interview will be with Debbie Lightle-Quan and the story will appear on the 6:00 news.

Jenn and I have been friends for about 10 years. She was one of four women in my wedding party in 2003. Jenn was a bridesmaid, along with my best friend Wendy, and the Master of Ceremonies, Tracy.

In 2005, Jenn was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 35. In 2006, Tracy (living in Ottawa) was diagnosed at age 40. Then, in 2009, I was diagnosed at age 36.
We all live in different cities, grew up in different areas and have no family history of breast cancer. We were all fit and otherwise healthy.

This statistic has always amazed me, especially when the medical profession states 1 in 9 women will be diagnosed.
In my world, it is 3 in 4.

Jenn and I will tell this story, as well as the incredible story of the creation of this calendar in our interview on Friday.

We hope you can turn on the news at 6pm and catch this story.

Julie

Calendar Cover Released!

2010-05-07T23:23:00.002-04:00

The Faces of Courage Calendar layout is now finalized and the cover is stunning!
All of the remaining month's photos will be kept TOP SECRET until the Official calendar launch party on June 2nd.
Stay tuned for more details about the launch!
To pre-order your calendar or journal/daytimer, send your contact details and order to:
facesofcourageorders@gmail.com

Calendar Launch June 2nd, 2010 at Nature's Emporium

2010-04-24T12:48:00.000-04:00

The official launch of the calendar sales will be Wed, June 2nd, 2010 at 8am at Nature's Emporium in Newmarket, Ontario. Please join us at the store for this wonderful event and support this project by buying a calendar or daytimer!

As the largest holistic market in Ontario, Nature's Emporium was a natural fit for the kick-off of the Faces of Courage calendar. Andrew Muto, Food Director and Sherri Doak, Resident Holistic Nutritionist will be providing a nutritious and organic breakfast and will be on hand to answer questions about clean eating and natural health.

As the design wraps up, the photos have been selected and the women's stories written, we can now move on to the next, and most exciting part of the project, generating funds for Southlake! Our goal started as a modest $40,000 but now with the addition of a daytimer version of the calendar, we have doubled our goal to $80,000!!!

So many people worked tirelessly on this project and I would like to take this moment to thank you from the bottom of my heart.

To Jen, our photographer, our visionary, I thank you for your time, your patience and your artistic vision.

To the gals in the calendar, I thank you for your stories, your inspiration and your friendship.

To my friends, I thank you for all of your support and encouragement and last, but certainly not least,

To my husband and family, I thank you for being by my side through my treatment, my recovery and supporting me in this rewarding journey.

Stay tuned for more details about sales venues, fundraising activities and more!

Julie

Faces of Courage 2011 Calendar portraying 12 brave women:

2010-04-15T12:01:00.003-04:00

Portrait of an Amazon.

photography: Jen van der Vecht

We say goodbye to Janice...

2010-04-09T14:01:00.000-04:00

This week I am sad. This week I am reminded of the seriousness of the disease we have all come together to fight against.

Janice Sharpe was the first woman to join this project and in Dec, 2009, she thought she had beaten the disease. Sadly, she learned only recently that it had spread and on April 4th, 2010, she passed away.

Eight months ago, 12 brave women came together as cancer survivors to create this calendar. We all had different experiences, different lessons to share, different perspectives.

But we all shared one thing - we had endured breast cancer, we had survived treatment and now we were to go on, through this project, to help others through their own battle.

It never occurred to me when I started this, that I would have to say goodbye to one of our own. That wasn't part of the plan. The plan was for us all to be survivors.

I am sad to loose a friend. I am humbled by the unpredictability of this disease and I am angry that cancer took Janice away from us, from her family, far too soon.

But despite my sadness this week, I have a renewed fire within me to make this project an overwhelming success. We need to make Janice proud. We need to let her know that she was part of something great, something worthwhile.

And we need her to know that she was as much a part of this as any of us, even in her absence.

Janice, I loved you and I will miss you. You brought me calm and comfort when I struggled in my own battle. You showed strength and courage in yours.

You are the reason we are here. You are our Face of Courage.

Mothers and daughters.

2010-03-04T12:57:00.004-05:00

Calendar model Robin, with her mother and daughter. Both

her support and inspiration.

Jen van der Vecht Photography.

Family Portraits, Newmarket Photographers, Aurora Photographers, Wedding Photographers, Newmarket Wedding Photographers, Toronto wedding Photographers,

Out takes from Sue's photo shoot with photographer, Jen van der Vecht::

2010-03-04T12:48:00.008-05:00

*please click on photo to view full size.

Jen van der Vecht Photography, Newmarket Wedding Photographers, Aurora Wedding Photographers, Toronto Wedding Photographers

Slessor Motors in Newmarket - PLATINUM SPONSOR!!

2010-02-12T20:10:00.000-05:00

We have received another platinum sponsor to help pay the printing costs of the calendars - Slessor Motors in Newmarket! Thank you John Slessor for supporting our cause!
Thank you also to Ruth Fletcher, one of our dazzling models, for making that call to Slessor!
This has truly been a team effort so far!

Keep up the search for Sponsors everyone!!

DMTI Spatial Inc First PLATINUM sponsor!

2010-01-17T17:53:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone,

I'm pleased to announce our first platinum sponsor - my employer DMTI Spatial Inc! They are a data provider for location intelligence and they have generously donated $1000 to our printing costs!

Thank you DMTI!

We are now up to $1,250 in donations towards the printint costs.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Julie

SNAP! official first sponsor

2010-01-06T13:13:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone!
I hope you all had a wonderful and happy holiday season!
Our entire family was down with a cold/cough all through Christmas and the New Year so we were happy to get back into a routine this week.

I'm pleased to announce that SNAP! is the first official sponsor to the Faces of Courage calendar project! Thank you SNAP!

Over the next few months, a lot will be happening to get this calendar ready:

1) Jen will complete the photo taking.
2) I will be pursuing more sponsorship to cover the printing costs.
3) Media coverage and attention will be a big focus
and
4) A launch party will be planned for June timeframe to officially launch the calendar and its sales.

I am really looking for ideas and volunteers to help with some of these tasks so if you know of companies who might be willing to donate a few $$ to the cause, please send me a list! Or if you are able to help in any other way, please post a comment and I will get in touch with you!

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated!

Happy New Year everyone and let's get this project really rolling now that we're into 2010!!

Thanks,
Julie

Happy Holidays

2009-12-24T09:41:00.000-05:00

As 2009 comes to a close, I can't say I'm not thrilled to see the back-end of this year. But although my journey was difficult, some wonderful experiences have emerged. I have had the priviledge of meeting some amazing women, am thrilled to be working on this calendar project and feel as if I've been given a second chance to live my life in a different and more meaningful way.

My treatments are over, my doctors are pleased and I am hopeful once again that I can live a life cancer-free. Now, it's all about recovery. Of course, with it being the Christmas season, there isn't much time for rest but I am loving every moment with the kids, friends and family.

I wish you all a very happy holiday season and nothing but good health for 2010.

See you all soon!
Julie

Some images from Julie's shoot... my personal favourites.

2009-11-25T11:05:00.009-05:00

Enjoy a peek at a few of my personal favourite portraits of Julie.

I am looking forward to shooting my next calendar model,

in high glamour.

Will post a peek when completed.

jen

*click on picture to view full size.

Face of Courage, Julie.

2009-11-22T07:06:00.009-05:00

Julie Achtermeier, face of courage.

A few months back, Julie asked me to be a part of her vision. I saw the offer as an opportunity to express myself artistically, in a passionate meaningful way.

Julie has trusted me with complete artistic freedom,

to express what I see in each woman.

With one portrait which gives you a moment inside their lives.

One of strength, endurance and purpose.

These are Our women. Our mothers, our sisters, our best friends, our daughters.

enjoy.

*click on picture to view full size.

to visit jen's: BLOG

Kristen Sharpe's Photo Essay:

2009-11-17T08:27:00.003-05:00

Kristen Sharpe created a compelling photo essay for a school project. In sign, this reads: "My mother has breast cancer". Janice, Kristen's mom, is one of our calendar models.

Beautiful, beautiful work, Kristen.

* please click on photo to view larger.

Out Takes from brave Claudia's shoot!

2009-10-19T11:30:00.004-04:00

Lyz Meloche-Field, one of our generous volunteers from Look Good, Feel Better, applies a very natural face to Claudia for our shoot. Thank you, Lyz!

A quick post-shoot shot for Claudia, as a memory of her day... Zoey, our cute pooch, was a trooper as well. She was feeling no pain.

During Claudia's battle, she developed a new found interest in gardening. Never before had she realized that she has been blessed with a green thumb! Sometimes, out of pain, comes new life.

The end of our day together. Life IS good.

Thank you, Claudia for allowing me to photograph you.

Jen,
jensphotos.com

Photoshoots are underway!

2009-10-13T20:35:00.000-04:00

After a heartwarming meeting of the models and photographer a few weeks ago, the photo shoots are now underway! There is great synergy amongst the group members and this calendar promises to be a huge success!

I had my shoot a few weeks ago and what a blast! The weather was still warm and we decided that since being around water gave me strength and a feeling of peace during my chemo treatments, we would shoot my photos in the water. It was on a cool September day but warm enough to pull it off. Some are in my "speedo" and some... well, we'll leave you in a bit of suspense...
We also did some shots of me with my mountain bike since riding was once an activity that helped to define who I was. Athletics in general have always been a big part of my life and I look forward to getting back to it. I can't wait to see the photos once Jen has done her editing.

To all the Models - please post some comments about your photo shoots so we can all get a glimpse of what your photos might be like.

Keep us posted!

Julie

Thank you, Era Banner, for covering our cause!

2009-10-08T10:07:00.000-04:00

A big Thank You to The Era Banner for deciding that our project is worthy of the cover!!

*photo courtesy of the Era Banner, staff photographer.

Meeting of the Models - The calendar takes off!

2009-09-28T20:19:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone!
As September draws to a close, my family is happy to have celebrated another round of birthdays, including my own... I'd like to say I am 29 (again) but for the first time, I am not concerned about turning another year older. 37 came with great pleasure this year and I plan to take each year with the same enthusiasm (well, that is the PLAN anyway!)
Thank you to everyone who inquired about being in the calendar - all of the months are now spoken for but I have kept all of the contact details of those who are interested for next year's edition!

I am priviledged to be able to meet with the 11 other courageous women this week, along with our photographer Jen and the Look Good, Feel Better make-up and hair volunteers and really kick-off this project. The planning has taken some time but we want this to be a huge success!

On a personal note, I will begin 5 weeks of daily radiation treatments at Princess Margaret Hospital starting on Oct 5th (ending Nov 9th) so my time will be a bit tight over the coming weeks. I will still keep up with the blog and any developments so please keep posting! I look forward to the end of my personal fight with cancer and the next chapter of my life beginning. The last 7 months have been intense, to say the least. Some days good, some days not so good but all of it meaningful.

I'm glad to hear that this project has inspired so many of you and I take great comfort in knowing that my cancer journey will not be in vain. If I can help even one person get through their own journey, it will all have been worth it.

Be well everyone, be strong and show your face of courage.

Stay tuned for more updates....

Julie

Look Good, Feel Better Volunteers to provide Make-up for models!

2009-09-22T21:37:00.000-04:00

I'm pleased to announce that Volunteers from the Look Good, Feel Better program in Newmarket will be donating their time to provide the make-up for our models for their photoshoots!
An update on hair salon(s) will follow shortly.

Welcome Look Good, Feel Better to our fundraising adventure! We're very excited to have you on board!

Julie

Faces of Courage - Breast Cancer Survivors Calendar

2009-09-08T20:52:00.001-04:00

When I first heard the words "you have breast cancer", a hundred thoughts flashed through my mind. One of them said to me "this can't be in vain". I knew from the beginning of this journey that there was a reason this was happening to me and I needed to do something with this experience.
I heard about a woman in Windsor who created a calendar of breast cancer survivors to support her local hospital. She was able to raise $80,000 for new mammography equipment. She inspired me.
Faces of Courage is the depiction of breast cancer survivors using black and white photography to capture each woman's experience. It is not a compilation of boudoir poses nor is it meant to be sexy. Each woman will be portrayed in her own light, as she is comfortable, in a beautifully artistic way.
I invite you to share this journey with me, my photographer, Jen Van der Vecht (www.jensphotos.com) and 11 other women as we build the calendar and raise some huge funds for Southlake Regional Health Center - Regional Cancer Program.
The goal is to raise $40,000 (to start!) which will go directly to the Regional Cancer Program.
Stay tuned as we start the photo shoots!
Julie