Wellness Wishes is starting to build our "Collaboration" section with wonderful partners, contributors, club members, notable non-profits...all those that help in collaborating with us to grant wishes every day. Our first notable non-profit is "The American Pie Party" and its founder, Tony Sobony. I had the pleasure to meet Tony about 7 or 8 years ago and was immediately struck by his tireless efforts to bring attention to cancer-focused non-profits; efforts that were always done with a smile and a laugh. I invited Tony to do a guest blog for us...this is his story:
Thank you to Erin Morrow for this opportunity to connect and share our Mission of fighting cancer with Pie in the Face humor. I met Erin approximately 6? years ago and quickly recognized her passion for being proactive in her approach to health, wealth and happiness relationships. She asked me to share my story.
After five years of teaching in the 1970's, I was frustrated and asked my mentor colleague for advice and Carol Lowe said I "should specialize in something." That night I watched Johnny Carson analyze comedy and he said humor often involves the extremes. A Pie in the Face is the extreme physical comedy act. It is almost magic. It is funny and it does not hurt anyone. Cancer is the extreme physical tragedy. It hurts. It hurts the family. You can not get more extreme then those two variables. By combining the laughter of Pies in the Face and the sorrow of cancer, unlimited amounts of money can be raised for the war against cancer.
I wanted to be an expert on Pies in the Face. I used divergent thinking. Externally I wanted to challenge all others, celebrities, people who celebrate life, to accept a Pie in the Face. This generated into our quality event, National Pie Day, January 23, 2020 at the Shamrock Club to benefit Christians Overcoming cancer. We have politicians, business leaders, athletes, entertainers, and others taking pies to the face. Internally I wanted to push myself as much as possible which generated into our quantity event. On the first Sunday in June, National Cancer Survivor Day, we perform SpeedPie, where I get hit with about 600 pies in a minute. Officially, I have been hit 69,971 times since 1980. We have notarized signatures to prove it. Praise the Lord.
In the beginning, I used the Blues Brothers quote, "I'm on a Mission with God" when I approached potential PiePals. I gave the Pie Party back to the Lord on Easter 2008. Today I say I am on a Mission with God. Two years ago, I was diagnosed with HPV throat cancer and went through chemo and radiation treatments successfully. This bizarre and wonderful nonprofit will glorify God.
We are excited to launch our Pie Party TAG campaign where a celebrity raises money for their chosen cancer agency, accepts a Pie from someone else, preferably a cancer survivor and records, posts and shares the act. Then the miracle happens. 100% of the money is sent DIRECTLY to the cancer charity. The American Pie Party is truly a nonprofit. We expect this concept to go viral, similar to the Ice Bucket Challenge.
Forty years ago, I was a frustrated high school teacher. Today I am a frustrated fundraiser with a unique situation. In sales most people say no to your proposal. However with the Pie Party, hundreds of people have agreed to donate and get involved by taking a Pie in the Face. But very few actually honor their obligation. Again frustration.
However we have a great tagline for our Pie Party TAG campaign, WHAT'S THE CURE FOR CANCER? TAG! YOU ARE IT!