I made a donation to Reay for Life in honor of my mom this Mother's DayHappy Mother’s Day to all the moms of the world, those tireless champions of ours who believe we can and will do anything we set our hearts and minds to. This Mother’s Day instead of sending my mom flowers and gifts, I donated to her favorite charity on her behalf. She asked me to donate to the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. For the past several years she has done the Survivor’s Lap on her friend, Leslie’s, team. Now that she has retired and moved away, she’ll be missing the event.
My donation gave Mom a way to stay connected and support the cause. She is a cancer survivor and a number of our family members and family friends have battled the disease. It’s become so common in our society now that all of us know someone touched by it. Relay for Life gives us a way to collectively fight back – a powerful lesson my mom has taught me repeated throughout my life. There is strength in mothers, strength in being part of a movement.
Yesterday The Nate Berkus Show featured a number of stories about viewer’s moms. While the gifts and surprises that the featured moms received were incredibly generous, the most touching part of the show involved the the children of these moms explaining why their moms were so important to them. It reminded me of how much words can mean when backed by heart and soul.
This Mother’s Day I hope you’ll pick up the phone or take pen to paper and let your Mom know how much her care and support means. Love and gratitude can never be over-communicated.
The short of it:
Writer. Health, education, and art advocate. Theater and film producer. Visual artist. Product geek. Proud alumnae of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA). Inspired by ancient wisdom & modern tech. Proliferator of goodness. Opener of doors. Friend to animals. Fan of creative work in all its wondrous forms. I use my business skills to create passion projects that build a better world. I’ve been called the happiest New Yorker, and I try hard to live up to that title every day.
The long of it:
My career has stretched across Capitol Hill, Broadway theatre, education, nonprofit fundraising, health and wellness, and Fortune 500 companies in retail, media, entertainment, technology, and financial services. I’ve been a product developer and product manager, theater manager, strategic consultant, marketer, voice over artist, , teacher, and fundraiser. I use my business and storytelling to support and sustain passion projects that build a better world. In every experience, I’ve used my sense of and respect for elegant design to develop meaningful products, services, programs, and events.
While building a business career, I also built a strong portfolio as a journalist, novelist, freelance writer, interviewer, presenter, and public speaker. My writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, PBS.org, Boston.com, Royal Media Partners publications, and The Motley Fool on a wide range of topics including business, technology, science, health, education, culture, and lifestyle. I have also been an invited speaker at SXSW, Teach for America, Avon headquarters, Games for Change, NYU, Columbia University, Hunter College, and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. The first book in my young adult book series, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, was acquired by a publisher and launched in November 2017. I’m currently working on the second book in the series.
A recovering multi-tasker, I’m equally at home in front of my Mac, on my yoga mat, walking my rescue dog, Phineas, traveling with a purpose, or practicing the high-art of people watching. I also cut up small bits of paper and put them back together as a collage artist.
My company:
I’m bringing together all of my business and creative career paths as the Founder of Double or Nothing Media:
• I craft products, programs, and projects that make a difference;
• I build the business plans that make what I craft financially sustainable;
• I tell the stories that matter about the people, places, and products that inspire me.
Follow my adventures on Twitter at https://twitter.com/christanyc and Instagram at https://instagram.com/christarosenyc.
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3 thoughts on “Beginning: Honoring My Mom Through The American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life”
Thank you, Christa, for this lovely post. I feel honored to have you for my daughter, and remember back to the first time I held you in my arms, and so many other memories in our life together. You make me both proud, and humbled to be so blessed. Love you so much. Mom xxxooo
I ran in that to honor my uncle and my cousin. I hope that you have a nice time. When I ran it started to ran and thunderstorm and I went home a little early. We actually walked to I think most every one or some people rather than ran. The local newspaper reported that one of the noticable things about our relay was all of the luminaries lining the track. I had alteast one out for my uncle who had recently died.
Christa Avampato 
Thank you, Christa, for this lovely post. I feel honored to have you for my daughter, and remember back to the first time I held you in my arms, and so many other memories in our life together. You make me both proud, and humbled to be so blessed. Love you so much. Mom xxxooo
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I ran in that to honor my uncle and my cousin. I hope that you have a nice time. When I ran it started to ran and thunderstorm and I went home a little early. We actually walked to I think most every one or some people rather than ran. The local newspaper reported that one of the noticable things about our relay was all of the luminaries lining the track. I had alteast one out for my uncle who had recently died.
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