This giveaway is a bit special. First off, it's from my best friend from kindergarten. Yes, you read that correctly. Regardless of how many times I have moved over my lifetime, she and I have stayed in touch. Over the past couple of years we have grown to be amazingly close again, thanks to some fabulous visits.

(Summer 2012)

I'll let Serena handle the rest. It is, after all, her giveaway.


Hi, my name is Serena. I'm the captain of Team Fearless; a Relay for Life team with the Allegan County Lakeshore Relay for Life. For those of you who don't know what Relay for Life is, it's a 24 hour walk-a-thon put on by The American Cancer Society that raises money for cancer research and brings awareness to the disease. I want to say a big THANK YOU to The Newfangled Housewife for allowing Team Fearless to participate in her Christmas giveaway! We're really excited to give away some goodies and raise awareness of a great cause!

I first got involved with Relay for Life in 2009 because of my boyfriend at the time. This is the first time the Allegan County Lakeshore had their own Relay, and his family had started a team because both he and his aunt were cancer survivors. The event was really important to my boyfriend's mother but less so to my boyfriend; he was only two when he was diagnosed with cancer so luckily he didn't remember much of the experience. Because of that though, it was always difficult for him to talk about it and explain the scars on his chest and back from having a kidney removed; a nasty reminder that he in fact had cancer as a child. I went along to the event to be a supportive girlfriend, but I had no idea how much I would be changed by the experience!

Things did not begin to really "hit" me until the night time when they turned the stadium lights around the high school track off letting the darkness surround us. This was the start of the luminaria. One by one people lit candles that were placed in bags that lined the track. What is so special about a candle in a bag, you ask? Every one of the bags bore the name of an individual who fought or were fighting cancer.

There were enough bags sitting side by side to line the entire track.

We walked in silence to honor those who had their name on a bag. When I saw my boyfriend’s bag I was completely overcome with emotion; suddenly I understood why this event meant so much to his mother and family. Next to his bag was a grandmother’s name with angel wings; she had lost her fight with cancer. My boyfriend was blessed, he was a survivor, but countless others weren't so lucky. He made fun of me for getting so emotional over something he barely remembered, but I could not imagine my life without having known him. He was so much a part of me at that point, and I knew that not everyone got to be lucky like I had been; too many others had been taken far too soon.

My boyfriend’s luminary bag 2009

"Celebrate Remember Fight Back" is the motto for Relay for Life.

After my first Relay I knew that I had to fight back. At first for my boyfriend, who later became my ex boyfriend, and then ultimately for myself. Cancer doesn't discriminate. It affects every race, every gender, and every age. In some way, shape, or form every single one of us have been touched by cancer and that's why it is so important raise money and awareness to find a cure for this awful disease.

Being the crafty girls that we are, Team Fearless has come up with a wonderful Christmas giveaway package for The Newfangled Housewife readers! This includes three glass ornaments and 10 magnets, all hand decorated in honor of our cause.


To enter, we ask that you donate $1 to Team Fearless via our team page on the American Cancer Society web page here.

While it may seem minimal, every dollar raised helps a grandmother spend another Christmas with her family, or a little boy experience Santa Claus for the very first time. Together we can fight back and find a cure! Not only will our world be filled with more birthdays, but Christmases too!


Leave a comment letting us know that you donated. If you do not have a google account, please visit the Newfangled Housewife Facebook Page, like it, and leave a comment on the wall. A list of those who donate will be kept and then we will use random.org to select a winner. Your name will be entered for every $1 you donate. So, the more you donate, the more chances you have at winning! Thank you so much for stopping by and giving to an amazing cause. This giveaway will go until midnight of the 18th, and a winner will be announced later that day. Check back in then!

Don't forget to check out the other awesome giveaway from Simply Modern Designs going on now as well!