One day as Michelle was walking the streets of Cleveland Ohio during one of the Susan G. Komen 3Day for the cure 60 mile walks she spied an interesting yard.  It was a yard adorned with decorated Bras! As a breast cancer survivor, and as someone who is always looking for new ways to raise money for breast cancer research, Michelle was inspired to bring the idea of decorating bras to Maize Valley!

The Bra Decorating Contest is open to all friends of Maize Valley.  Entry is simple – decorate a bra and bring it to the winery.  You can gain inspiration and ideas from various sites on the internet such as google, pinterest, etc.  All bras will be on display from March 9st through May 2rd.  Visitors to Maize Valley can vote on their favorite bra with monetary donations.  The bra with the most “votes” (money) ….WINS!  All donations go to benefit Breast Cancer Research.  Breast Cancer is SERIOUS business – so we are fighting back with some imaginative fun!!

Get creative!!!  All types, sizes and styles accepted!  Adorn your bra with glitter, sequins, rhinestones, feathers, beads, & more.  Pick a “theme” if you wish, be zany, be inspired, be…..well “supportive” of the girls!

Get your family & friends to come to Maize Valley and vote for your bra!  All Bras will be on display March 9st – May 2nd in the wine tasting room.  The winner will receive a fabulous Maize Valley Prize Package including 2 seats to a Maize Valley Vintner’s Dinner, and a gift card to Victoria’s Secret.

All entries will be involved in either the silent or live auction at the “PINK Party” event on Wednesday May 6th.  Get tickets TODAY for this fun event!  Bra-Vo!  To YOU for helping “Support” Michelle and Bill Bakan as they raise money for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day 60 mile “Walk for the Cure”.  This year both Bill & Michelle plan to walk in the 3-Day event in Michigan.  In order for both of them to participate, they need to raise $4600 in donations to the Susan G Komen foundation.

Breast cancer has affected the family at Maize Valley in multiple ways and we believe in supporting the fight for a cure.  Michelle has walked five years in the Susan G Komen 3-day walk for a cure and Bill has been on the safety crew twice and walked twice.   As a walker, Michelle has walked every step, every mile each year.  It takes a good amount of training to get your body ready, blisters, shin splints, and even lost tonails can take a toll on a person.   As a route safety crew member Bill has had the pleasure of assisting almost every walker as they navigate the streets and sidewalks of the 60 mile route.  Safety crew member ride out before the walkers leave and escort the last walker in, making for a long, tiring, but extremely rewarding day.

We understand that Susan G. Komen has taken some criticism over the past few years and we admit any organization this size will eventually face challenges.  Things that were once simple become complicated.  In fact due to the controversy’s of the past few year’s (mostly concerning planned parenthood) the 3 Day use to encompass 14 cities, in 2015 it will only be coming to 7.

For us it comes back to the “Promise” one sister made to another and that is why we continue to walk with Susan G.  At the end of the day they do great things, more than would be done without them. There is a site called Charity Navigator that assigns ratings to charities and they gave SGK a pretty outstanding rating.  So it is relative, a world without breast cancer would be great and maybe there is a holy grail of a cure but for now in my estimation these folks do a great job and we are better off with them.

If you would like to learn more about Breast Cancer Statistics here is a link that can get your started.