A shared passion for ice hockey often lures Independent Sales Director Jane Ono and her family to the rink. The entire family plays the sport as much as their busy schedules permit.
Jane, who has had her Mary Kay business for 21-years, also passionately supports The Mary Kay Foundation. When she wanted to raise funds for the Foundation, naturally, she looked to the ice and the nearest hockey team.
On Jan. 16, 2010, the Fresno Monsters, a Junior A Tier III ice hockey team, showed the world that real, tough hockey players wear pink. At their first-ever Pink in the RinkSM, the Monsters, donning pink jerseys and socks, skated past the San Diego Gulls 3-1 at Selland Arena in Fresno, Calif.
Jane, Independent Sales Directors Pauline Turner and Suzanne Luna, and Independent Beauty Consultants Amber Marshall and Sherry Bezzera got a jump on the fundraising action by selling tickets to the big event a couple of months in advance at Monster’s hockey games. In addition, they sold custom silkscreen jersey patches for $100 each, commemorating those who had battled cancer. The patches were sewn on players’ jerseys, which were auctioned off after the game.
With a desire to make an even bigger difference in their community, Jane and Pauline also offered hockey game attendees the opportunity to sponsor families from Exceptional Parents Unlimited. This organization provides programs for families facing extraordinary medical, developmental and parenting challenges. More than 60 sponsored tickets sold!
Vice President of the Fresno Monsters Jay Johnson stepped in to help make the inaugural event, which raised $4,100 for the Foundation, an amazing success.
“My mother was a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant and my aunt was a pink Cadillac Independent Sales Director,” says Jay, a former professional hockey player. “I’m very familiar with the Mary Kay organization and totally supportive of the Foundation’s work.”
“We’re a brand new expansion team, and we want to do what we can do to help important causes in our community. People loved this event! It will become even bigger and better in the future.”
“So much good came out of this,” comments Jane. “The event touched people in a lot of different ways. It was definitely worth all the effort!”