As the National Breast Cancer Foundation has noted, breast cancer can’t be prevented, and sadly today, there is no cure. However, detecting breast cancer early can make all the difference in the world — it can literally save lives. Yet, a rapidly increasing percentage of women simply cannot afford the screening tests.
For these reasons Solid Start/True Brand, a female-owned and operated business, has chosen to partner with the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) to help provide free, life-saving, early detection screenings to women in need all across the country. The NBCF partners with medical facilities across the country and provides free mammograms and diagnostic breast care services.
Solid Start/True Brand is a proud supporter of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the annual international health campaign organized by major breast cancer charities every October to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure. In addition the company offers its Fuel Juels, a specially-branded premium product, in year-round packaging to promote breast cancer awareness.
Very Personal Cause
For Solid Start’s Amber Kossak, chief executive officer, and Crystal Mathews, vice president, cancer is something that has touched them personally.“This is a very important cause to us,” Mathews said. “We’ve been affected directly. My grandmother passed away from breast cancer, and it is a horrible disease. We knew we wanted to do something as a way to give back.”
Six years ago, the company reached out to the NBCF, as Kossak and Mathews agreed this was something that could have a great impact on many women today.
“We know there are many great organizations that are working on a cure, but we felt that what the NBCF was doing with early detection was making a difference,” Mathews explained. “Instead of money being spent for a cure that will hopefully be found one day, it pays for mammograms for women who can’t afford it. The truth is, right now the only cure is early detection. We felt we wanted to put our money into helping women now. To us, this is helping save women’s lives now.”
The inspiration to brand Fuel Juels year-round in a specialty pink bottle came about for another personal reason.
“We had a sales representative who died from testicular cancer, and we did think about supporting research into that disease but as a women-owned business we opted to support the NBCF,” Kossak, who has more than 20 years in the automotive service industry, said. “This product has been special to us, and we know there are different products out there that are similar, so we wanted to make this stand out to honor this cause.”
“We designed the packaging for Fuel Juels around our support of NBCF,” Mathews explained. “This is the same design that we use year-round, and since we’re already advertising the product every month, none of this adds to the costs.”
For October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the company is touting the powerful message, “Together, we have the power to make early detection for women in need possible.” But even when November arrives and the media and public awareness subsides, the pink bottles remain as a way to continue to spread the message.
Branding Fuel Juels in pink year-round ensures that money isn’t wasted for a Breast Cancer Awareness Month-only promotion by rolling out special packaging or branding. This ensures that instead of spending money on bottles, more of the proceeds can go to those who truly need it.
“We wanted to make sure the money would be well spent,” Kossak said.
“We also believe this is our best product, and we felt it was really worth it to support such an important cause,” Mathews said.
To that end, the company has started a special “Fuel Juels Friday” on social media platforms, including Facebook. Those who like the promotion are entered for a chance to win a free bottle of Fuel Juels as well as a Fuel Juels trucker hat, and those who share the post automatically receive an additional entry.
In the six years that Solid Start/True Brand has supported the NBCF, the response has been very good, Kossak confirmed.
“There are many men who have been affected by breast cancer, as they’ve had loved ones who have been diagnosed or worse,” she added. “For us, it just makes sense to support this throughout the year. We pull out the stops in October, but want to remind everyone all year. We hope our customers will also spread the word.”
“Breast cancer, unfortunately, affects women all year long,” Mathews said. “The least we can do is help with the awareness, and help women get screened — because the only cure is early detection.”
