Want the most people to see this

[ginnyde]

Coldwater Creek is having a day where a % of their sales go to the Susan G. Komen fund.

I emailed them and said,

More women die from lung cancer than breast cancer. Give these women a day too.

Let's all email Coldwater Creek, please.

[Ann]

Great idea, Ginny. I love their clothes but could easily shop else where if they don't take your suggestion! I'm emailing them right now! Thanks for the heads up! You know...you're a pretty wonderful gal!

[ginnyde]

Dear Ms. DeCoursey:

Thank you for contacting us. We appreciate you taking your valuable time to correspond with us.

Please be assured, Ms. Decoursey, that we will forward your e-mail to the appropriate department to be reviewed.

There are so many types of cancer in our world today and it affects so many lives and every family seems to have someone. We wish they could all be cured.

Perhaps if they find a cure for one kind it will be useful for all types.

If we may help you with anything else, please feel free to e-mail or call or toll free number.

Sincerely,

Lil B.

Internet Customer Service

[Treebywater]

Pfffft. I am UNimpressed with that response, though it may help me craft MY OWN message. Do you have an email address I could use, Ginny?

[SBeth]

Thanks Ginny.

I sent in my 2 cents worth; we'll see where it gets us. The squeaky wheel...

It's commendable of your marketing group to come up with such an innovative campaign to solicit business in the spirit of helping a worthy cause, such as breast cancer. Perhaps, it's time for some real innovation? Perhaps it's time for Coldwater Creek to stand up and address a more deadly cancer? Did you know that lung cancer is responsible for the deaths of more women than breast cancer? Perhaps a cure for one cancer will help lead to a cure for all cancers; so why not start looking for a cure to lung cancer, or atleast increase awareness? Thank you

[ginnyde]

Thanks Beth.

Web: csweb@thecreek.com

[SBeth]

The response I got from Coldwater Creek...

Dear Ms. Slovacek:

Thank you for contacting us today. It is always a pleasure to be of assistance.

We are happy to hear of your passionate interest in providing assistance in

finding the cure for cancer, Ms Slovacek.. Regardless of the form this terrible

disease takes, it is important we join together to find the answers.

At this time, we are a proud sponsor the Susan K. Komen foundation, which as you

are aware, provides invaluable assistance in our mutual cause for womens health.

We certainly wish we had the capability to sponsor all the wonderful

organizations that contribute to the national health of our society, however we

simply are not able to do so at this time. Perhaps as our company continues to

grow and expand, we will be able to participate in the very worthy prevention of

lung cancer as well, Ms. Slovacek.

If we may be of additional service, please feel free to contact us by email,

instant help, or by calling 800-510-2808.

Sincerely,

Stacey P.

Coldwater Creek

Customer Service

I will continue to be a squeaky wheel until there is enough of the pie to go around!!!

[Jyoung20]

Just sent my letter!!!

[Ann]

I'm not happy at all with the responses that Ginny and Beth got. I was all set to send a nice email request but after reading these two responses, they have really lit a flame. I think we all need to get on Ginny's bandwagon with this one. I have an idea!!! Coldwater Creek has coupons in every issue of most women's magazines I subscribe to. The coupon is a post card sized coupon for $25.00 off a purchase of $100 or more. I think we should all pull these coupons out of our magazines, bundle them all up together, and send them to the corporate headquarters with a letter on LCSC letterhead. The letter could state our cause and the state that all these coupons could have been used in their stores if their response to our suggestions had been a bit more realistic!!! What do you guys think????

[tatlyn]

I've just sent my letter:

Good Afternoon,

I've just become aware of your sponsorship in connection to the Susan K. Komen foundation. Your participation is admirable but in all honesty, also somewhat disheartening. The search for a cure for breast cancer is certainly worthy of every corporate dollar it can generate but I have to wonder about the company decision maker's who commit these precious sponsorship dollars, do they not read the news? Are they and your company not aware that lung cancer takes the life of more women each year than does breast cancer? Do you not know that lung cancer kills more people each year than breast, prostate and colon cancers combined? Are you aware that there is some twenty thousand plus dollars in research money available to every 1 breast cancer death in comparison to fifteen hundred dollars or so for each lung cancer death? That's a pretty significant discrepancy and dare I say, paltry amount of research money available for the number one killer of women, lung cancer.

I suppose that one could make the argument that a cure for one cancer can mean the cure for all cancers but that would be a false argument. Lung cancer is so woefully under funded that we're still trying to figure out the best way to detect it in it's early stages. We have a long, long way to go towards a cure for lung cancer and one corporation after another, after another, lining up to support breast cancer, is not going to make that happen.

Respectfully,

I will post the response when I receive it.

Anne, I think that's a fabulous idea!!

[ginnyde]

Ann, where do I send my coupons???????

As the guy on Flight 93 said "Let's roll"

[tatlyn]

Here's the response I just received:

Thank you for taking the time to contact us today. It is always a pleasure to hear from you.

We appreciate your taking the time to make us aware of the many unfortunate cancers that have arisen in the past years. We do feel that the Susan K. Koman foundation is a worthy cause and support them as much as we can. We have passed along this email to our corporate office for review and look forward to funding more research toward all types of cancer.

Your business is very important to us, Mrs. xxx. If we may be of further assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,

Lindsey

Customer Service

Thank you Ginny for bringing this to our attention. It's an excellent opportunity to *spread the news* where it matters most...companies with sponsorship money to spend.

[Geri]

Sent my response off too.

A few weeks ago I wrote about being PO'd about a "pink" display in a store......guess what store it was. I'm a Coldwater Creek shopper and really like their stuff but I too may have to find another place to spend my money.

All this makes me feel almost mean spirited about breast cancer. I know a lot of women who owe their lives to all the research done for it and I do not begrudge them that, but it still pisses me off that money continues to pour in for a disease that for the most part is very survival.

I will now get off my soap box and calm down!!

I'll let you know what response I get.

Geri

[Jyoung20]

Here is the response I received.

Thank you for contacting Coldwater Creek. We are glad that you wrote and are pleased to have the opportunity to respond.

We appreciate your great comments regarding our support for the Susan K. Komen Foundation. We have forwarded your note and your suggestion to the appropriate department.

[Treebywater]

Well shoot! I mistyped in my letter and put that LC would take half as many lives as BC instead of twice as many... Sooo... I sent another one, copied the text of the original and corrected myself--guess the good news is that they heard from me TWICE!

[Treebywater]

Dear Ms. R:

Thank you so much for taking the time to contact us about such an important issue. Your care and passion as so very evident, and we are sorry for your loss.

Ms. R, we are pleased to forward your e-mail to the department responsible for charitable donations. Thank you so much for taking the time to help make us more aware of the growing needs of this epidemic. It is because of letters, such as yours, that we are able to make a difference.

Please do not hesitate to contact us again, Ms. R. We appreciate your care for those around you!

Sincerely,

Jodee S.

Customer Service

That wasn't such a bad response.

[Linda661]

OK, here's what I said to them:

"I noticed that your firm is a sponsor of the Susan G. Komen Foundation -- wonderful and important organization for inroads into assistance for breast cancer. However, I respectfully request that Coldwater Creek charitable giving dept. consider expanding it's cancer support to one of the most underfunded and misunderstood cancers there is: lung cancer. Lung cancer kills twice as many women as breast cancer and is the most underfunded cancer there is. While lung cancer has been stigmatized as a "smoker's disease," that is simply not the truth: many career non-smokers (including those who have never been around second hand smoke or asbestos) get this horrendous disease as well....many examples of this have appeared in recent news as you may well be aware.

Supporting the cure for one kind of cancer does not necessarily translate into benefit for all types of cancer from research I have been doing (I am the daughter of a family member with lung cancer). One of the biggest immediate problems with lung cancer is lack of early detection and accurate public education, for example: we seem to have that pretty well in hand with breast cancer as a society.

Breaking this cycle of underfunding and social stigma is important to the patients, caregivers, family, and institutions so diligently involved with this disease. I swear it's gonna' take a well-known, progressive, and forward-thinking corporation like Coldwater Creek to help make this happen.

I could go on, but I know you have already received many comments on this issue already. At the very least, please consider rotating your support annually across cancer issues, rather than targeting one cause -- this could make an immense difference to a lot of lives.

Thank you for your attention in this matter."

A bit of a rough note, but trying the catch 'em with honey route -- what can I say, I wrote grants for a bit and you gotta' creep up on charitable giving departments, guys -- not gonna' win points with them coming across "rough and tough." Just a warning on tone -- give them the facts in a persuasive manner after you have established your "creditials" with them.

Don't be too alarmed and upset at the canned responses you get initially like this.....we want to hear from the charitable giving department ultimately; don't really care about the customer service rep. who sends the initial canned reply.

I'd save the initiative on collecting coupons and banning them from your business right now from what I know about corporate giving. Give them a chance to respond (and I mean up to about a month of consideration -- 4-6 weeks)......what you've got so far isn't coming from a corporate decision-maker in this matter. These letters are a great first step to get their attention......but they need a cohesive representation of "the whole of us" to actually end up doing anything.

Linda

[elnodel]

Here's mine:

[Like so many other women who love Coldwater Creek clothing, I am delighted that you are actively sponsoring cancer research, and I certainly commend you for this. But I am also aware, as I am sure you are as well, that the leading cause of cancer deaths in women is not breast cancer, but lung cancer. It is only in the past few months that many otherwise well-informed people have even become dimly aware of this fact, and that is largely due to the widely publicized, and so untimely, death of Dana Reeve.

As I know you know, lung cancer accounts for more deaths each year than breast cancer, prostate cancer and colon cancer combined. Yet lung cancer research is horrendously underfunded, with the unfortunate result that there are virtually no tests that can detect it at an early stage and precious few treatments when it is detected, usually at too late a stage to be effectively combatted. An infusion of money AND public awareness would go a long way to remedying this situation and fueling the public will to fund research that would result in both new tests and treatments.

Such wonders have been done for breast, prostate and colon cancer. We need to find people and corporations and organizations that will have the vision to take up the gauntlet in the fight against this most deadly of cancers, a threat to far more women than the other cancers.

It is my hope that yours will be just such a corporation and that you will take a lead in the fight against lung cancer, as you have in that against breast cancer.

Respectfully,

Ellen Nodelman ]

We'll see....

Ellen

[Maryanne]

I just sent my letter... see below.

I just want to say I think all the companies that are coming out for breast cancer is very enlightening and I pray for a cure and I think it is wonderful for what you are doing for the Susan G. Komen foundation. With all that funding I am surprised that the cure was not been found yet. There seems to be an incredible amount of companies and publicity supporting that foundation.. As breast cancer is so important for women there is also another Cancer that plagues women more than Breast Cancer and that is Lung Cancer.

Lung Cancer always seems to get hushed up as it is a "smokers disease" and its on them. Well LC is the number 1 cause of cancer death in women. Not only that, but bigger than breast, prostate and colon cancer put together!! Also, former smokers, some well over 20 years of not smoking are also victims. Actually, a large percertage are former smokers. So no one is immuned. Then there are the poor unfortunate people who get it through chemicals, asbestos, agent orange, mine workers etc.

Also, there are so many young women, at least 10 - 15% who are non smokers!! Dana Reeves as one you would know.... Unfortunately, non smokers have no reason go get tested and when there is a sign it is usually stage IV. My husband has LC but was fortunate to catch it in stage 1 and he is doing fine. But LC desparately needs funding, not to be put on the back burner. We need a big company to become involved in this and then I know it will have a ripple effect. Just like Breast Cancer in the beginning.

I have also found that LC does run in families. It amazes me how many people in the same families get this horrible disease and I am not only talking about 2nd hand smoke. It has to be in their DNA that they have weak lungs. But we won't know this until they have the money to research this.

Please I did not mean to rain on your parade. I praised you for what you are doing. But at the same time, we need help, the public must become aware of this horrible disease that takes your breath away.

Sincerely,

I will let you know the response, if I get one.

Maryanne

[Linda661]

Just rockin' last couple of letter examples here (better than mine after all my words above, actually ). You started something wonderful here Ginny gal!

Linda

[Ann]

Ginny....maybe we could mail all the coupons to one LCSC member and they would forward them to the CWC Corporate Headquarters. I think that would put more "bang" in our cause!!! Any one want to volunteer?

[ginnyde]

I'm raising my hand. If this is okay, I will PM my address to anyone who wants to send me coupons.

Let's start someplace to become noisey!!!!!!!

[teresag]

WHo is Susan K. Komen? I thought it was the Susan G Komen Foundation?

It is. Susan G. Komen was a woman who died of breast cancer. Her sister started the foundation. She must be one heck of an organizer and fund-raiser.

I, too, get angry sometimes at all the breast cancer publicity. I believe part of the reason, however, is that there are simple screening tests for breast cancer and it is located outside the chest cavity, and therefore it is detected early and much more curable than lung cancer. Breast cancer is just a scientifically simpler problem to solve than lung cancer. And thus there is a certain optimism associated with it that lung cancer does not yet share. I think the public finds an "optimistic" cancer much easier to support; they feel their dollars are really paying off in terms of survival stats. That is a MUCH more difficult thing to do with lung cancer. It will take time and lots and lots of research dollars.

[Debi]

If I can interject, I think the idea of mailing the Corporate Offices is the way to go.

Although email is a fast way to get people's attention, working in a multi-faceted service center myself that includes catalog brands, I am fairly familiar with how customer email is answered. Although flooding the customer service reps with email may surely cause some ripples to make it to Corporate, most of the reps are most likely answering your emails and moving on to the next one. I'm not sure with Coldwater Creek but alot of company emails are outsourced these days and may be answered by someone who's only connection with Coldwater Creek is that their company is paid by them to take care of their email customer service issues.

Anyway, just wanted to add my 2 cents. These emails are only being answered by customer service reps who's job is to placate the customer with their emails, the way to go is definitely Corporate Headquarters where decisions are actually made.

[Ann]

Thank You, Ginny for being our "coupon captain." I got my new issue of Southern Living in the mail yesterday and Coldwater Creek has a $25 coupon in this issue. So...I spent last night pulling these coupons out of other magazines I have. I will send them to you the first of next week. I have a couple of friends that are also pulling the coupon cards from their magazines. I really think this will make an impact on their corporate offices.