Attitudes, like snowballs, pick up size and momentum when rolled any given direction. I'm always preaching to our team: you can choose to roll your snow for good or evil--a snowman for everyone's enjoyment and benefit, or one used to mow people over. Which will you choose?

Our Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM) events demonstrate this choice.

Back in March, we met about events we wanted to see in October. We decided to repeat a couple of successful ideas we implemented last year, like First Timer's Day--a special Sunday for women who'd never had a mammogram, where they got free chair massage, gifts, food and raffle prizes--and a physician educational dinner. We also wanted more.

We let the brainstorming begin, and first decided on an employee "lunch and learn" with a "Millionaire" game using breast cancer educational questions. Then someone suggested tying pink ribbons on all the trees. When I called our facilities department for approval, the safety officer not only agreed, but suggested we hold a tree lighting ceremony as well! We fell in love with that idea, and our hospital foundation agreed to pay the cost.

Our whole team got involved. The employees wanted to raise money for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk (in association with the American Cancer Society). They proposed a bake sale and decided to make pink ribbon fleece scarves to sell for donations. (They are the cutest scarves ever!) We sent over 50 walkers to our local events.

And that's not all. Our gift shop manager heard what we were doing and donated pink ribbon merchandise for raffle prizes and patient gifts. A nurse manager's daughter even decorated pink flip-flops to sell for donations (as cute as the scarves!).

 Our team bought matching pink ribbon scrub tops to wear on designated days. The registration director bought her team the same tops. On ribbon-tying day, the volunteer department, radiology and patient relations departments pitched in. We visited a local health club and handed out pink carnations to members. We camped outside the hospital cafeteria at lunch and signed up 35 employees for mammograms.

With our outstanding participation and enthusiasm, our effort raised over $1,600 in donations. The events were well attended and successful, and we've countless positive calls and emails about the pink ribbons and lights.

That's making a snowman--at its finest. I could not be more proud of our team.

What did you do for BCAM? Tell me your ideas (so I can copy them!): sandra.mueller@ahss.org.

Sandra Mueller, BA, RT(R)(M)RDMS, is the technical manager of women's services at Adventist Hinsdale Hospital's Outpatient Centers in Chicago.