Keep A Breast Foundation – How Touring & Music Can Help Charities Grow – Q&A INTERVIEW

Kimmy McAtee, who is the PR Marketing Manager for The Keep A Breast Foundation, has done an interview with us.  You can read the interview after the break.

Are you familiar with the charity The Keep A Breast Foundation? If not, you must never step foot in public because you can’t go ANYWHERE without seeing one of their “i <3 boobies” wristbands. Basically, they made it cool to support breast cancer research and that is something most people thought would never happen. Even if kids just buy the wristbands to fit in, they are still financially supporting the charity and spreading the word! We got a chance to ask them a few questions about the importance of touring to their foundation. Hope you enjoy.

Digital Tour Bus: Can you please state your name, company name and position?
Keep A Breast: Kimmy McAtee – The Keep A Breast Foundation – PR Marketing Manager

DTB: Can you tell us a little about Keep A Breast and how it started?
KAB: Keep A Breast is a non profit breast cancer prevention and education foundation. We were started 11 years ago when Shaney jo realized there wasn’t a foundation for young people to turn to when it came to breast cancer. There was nothing educating young people on how to prevent a disease that is only 5-10% hereditary, or how to get support from like minded people – or help them talk about a scary disease in their own voice.

DTB: Your goal is keep the youth informed about breast cancer. Can you explain what sort of media you use to give them facts when you are touring at nationwide events like Vans Warped Tour?
KAB: We pass out 100 of thousands of educational materials including Breast Self Exam “Check Your Self” cards, Non Toxic Revolution mini zines, magazines and more. We have small pillows where people can actually feel the difference between fibrocystic and cancerous lumps. On top of that we always have several of our programs like “Imagine If… There Was No Cancer” or our “This Is My Story program where people can share their thoughts about breast cancer.

DTB: How has touring the nation helped to not only spread breast cancer awareness, but also health awareness?
KAB: We always practice what we preach! We’re constantly talking about how your everyday life choices can affect your body and actually cause cancer. Eating a mostly vegetarian diet, getting exercise and keeping a healthy body weight are so important and we always want to educate people on that.

DTB: Do you feel that touring has been the best way of introducing Keep A Breast’s cause to younger generations?
KAB: Absolutly! We choose to do the tours we do based on knowing that we can educate them in a place that is natural and real to them.

DTB: As a non-profit organization, it is sometimes difficult to think of the right merchandise to use in order to help get your statement across?
KAB: No I don’t think so. We do what makes sense and what ultimately speaks our mission. We have an amazing Board of Directors and Advisory Board, many of whom are survivors, that we pass all of our messaging through before we release it to the public. Our board, and people across the globe, including breast cancer survivors whom have been impacted by breast cancer tell us our messaging is refreshing in a sea of pink ribbons as we take a positive approach to breast cancer awareness based on prevention and education. We encourage people to use the our cause merchandise as an opportunity to start a conversation about breast cancer prevention, body image, early detection, and the importance of living a healthy lifestyle.

DTB: What sort of merch do you believe sells the best and why?
KAB: It depends on where we are. Some of our tours eat up the bright colored bracelets and really want to scream out that they love boobies. Most of these tours are ones we have been on before.. And I think the fans just know who we are and what we stand for. But the smaller priced items are always nice as some kids want to save their money for band tees or water and food.

DTB: When touring, what is the one thing the group focuses on, besides raising money? Are there mottos or ideas that you want to leave fresh in people’s minds that you feel truly represent the cause of the Keep A Breast Foundation?
KAB: We always want to focus on making a connection with everyone that walks to the booth. It could be having them tell us what they imagine a world without cancer to be, educating them with life saving information or just being a sounding board when they want to talk. Ultimately making it a safe place for young people to come and share their feelings.

DTB: How do you feel music helps to connect kids and all types of audiences to Keep A Breast?
KAB: I think there is nothing more powerful than art and music. Music can uplift you and be there for you in times when you need it the most. Audiences feel a deep bond with their favorite artists. We feel by having Keep A Breast at these venues people are able to open up to us the same way.

DTB: It seems like Keep A Breast not only helps the younger generation be aware of health risks, but it also seems to support ideas of positivity. How does Keep A Breast help to also empower women facing something as deadly as breast cancer to take a stand, and change for the better?
KAB: Toxic chemicals and environmental factors are not the only things to blame when we are talking about cancer. Not that they are actual causes of cancer but it has been thought that stress, exercise, our state of mind, and our overall outlook on life has a huge role in how and to what degree cancers affect our bodies. We always want to empower wemon to make a change, and to help them face something so scary with a bit of a smile.

DTB: While on the road, do you showcase videos of musicians at booths to also draw in crowds? If so, how does the spoken word from these musicians help to influence a crowd?
KAB: We do a lot of live acoustic performances or signings at our tent. It allows us to grab the attention of concert goers that might not know about our booth otherwise.

DTB: Do you have any final thoughts or comments to add?
KAB: Thank you!