Breast Cancer Awareness Month | Breast Cancer + TNAA + Paying it Forward and Gardenuity

The month of October is filled with celebration. Halloween, college football, costume parties, Mental Health Awareness Month, and fall feasts all take the stage during one of our favorite months of the year. The month of October is also noted as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This is a month to honor survivors, lift up those struggling, celebrate those who are providing care, and remember the loved ones we have lost from this terrible disease. 

To celebrate, Gardenuity is featuring the Pink Tropical Desktop Garden to serve as a small moment of calm and mindfulness during a challenging season of life. Thinking about using nature and the power of gardening to spread compassion and peace during more difficult seasons of life is just one of the ways Gardenuity tries to pay it forward. 

We are also continuing our partnership with TNAA (Travel Nurse Across America), one of the fastest- growing healthcare staffing firms in the Country that is gifting pink tropical gardens to their nurses aimed at taking care of the people who take care of others through the wellness powers of gardening.

To address this need, Kristen Henderson, human resources manager and leader of the Health & Wellness Committee for TNAA, and a breast cancer survivor, has implemented a variety of programs including an effort with Gardenuity to deliver the highly documented health and wellness benefits of gardening to TNAA’s mobile corps of travelers while they are on assignment. Further, the program gives them a path to pay the benefits of gardening forward when they depart a location.

“In the spirit of paying it forward, with each pink tropical garden sold and gifted during October a donation will be made to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. “

Pink is the New Orange!

Let’s talk about why pink is important in the association with breast cancer. 

Globally the symbol of breast cancer is a pink ribbon. Why? Well, the color pink is associated with femininity, health, and playfulness. This makes the color a profound symbol in the realm of collective goodwill and femininity, with the nurturing spirit inherent in acts of compassion. Margaret Welch’s insights into the stress-relieving and calming qualities of pink reveal its transformative power. Pink becomes more than a color; it embodies the playfulness essential for fostering positive change.

The origins of the pink ribbon, once a modest peach color, trace back to the activism of Charlotte Haley. Her efforts, seeking increased federal funding for cancer prevention and research, ignited a movement that found resonance with the Susan G. Komen Foundation. The adoption of the pink ribbon during their Race for the Cure events catapulted it into the global consciousness. The Pink Desktop Garden extends this symbolism, becoming a tangible and living tribute that transcends specific causes.

The Living Legacy: Desktop Gardens as Tools of Change

Embedded within the Pink Desktop Garden is the concept of mindfulness, offering moments of calm amidst life’s challenges. Mindfulness, as a tool, encourages the acknowledgment and navigation of emotions without being overwhelmed. Gardening, as represented by the Desktop Garden, becomes a therapeutic tool—a means of self-care and reflection. It symbolizes not only individual compassion but also the collective commitment to creating a more compassionate world.

The ripple effect of collective goodwill is set in motion by the Pink Desktop Garden. Like ripples in a pond, small acts of kindness and care can create a significant impact. The Desktop Garden serves as a metaphorical pebble, inspiring others to join in the cause of positive change. It becomes a reminder that acts of generosity and compassion, like seeds, can grow and multiply, cultivating a garden of collective transformation.

As Breast Cancer Awareness Month unfolds, let the Pink Desktop Garden be a beacon, inspiring individuals to sow seeds of compassion, cultivate mindfulness, and contribute to the transformative ripple effect of collective positive energy. In these acts, we find not only solace and strength but also the potential to create a world blooming with compassion and positive change.