“Knotty Girl: Raising a Non-Profit”
By: Kristy Harris
Photos by: Elena Rodriguez
This story has been written as a follow-up to the 2012 and 2015 Heartland Living stories on Diana Albritton and Knotty Girl.
With a non-profit name of, Knotty Girl Loves, Inc – “Knotty Girl” for short, you are sure to get a lot of attention! Over the course of 2016, that is exactly what has been happening! Knotty Girl was founded in 2013 by breast cancer survivor and Sebring resident, Diana Albritton. With her rope and knot body, Knotty Girl is a visual representation of what breast cancer can feel like…round and hard like a KNOT! Her mission is to educate on the importance of monthly breast self-exams. Along with your yearly mammogram, monthly breast self-exams help to familiarize yourself on how your body looks and feels so that you can alert your health care provider to any changes that you may notice between mammograms.
Every January, Diana and the Knotty Girl team meet to plan and timeline the first six months of the year (meeting again in June to plan the remainder of the year). For the 2016 January meeting, we chose to go to Winter Garden, Florida where Diana grew up and simultaneously hosted a Warrior Meet and Greet. Incidentally…Knotty Girl refers to our supporters as “Warriors,” Diana’s high school is the West Orange Warriors and she is on an all breast cancer survivor dragon boat paddling team called the Orlando Warriors on Water. This was a chance for all the Orlando area Warriors to meet the Knotty Girl team and each other. The weekend in Winter Garden concluded with a plan to focus on marketing Knotty Girl and fundraising.
One of the long-term goals for Knotty Girl, was to have a Lodge in the mountains where breast cancer survivors could come to relax and heal. After having breast cancer, many survivors are at a loss for how to proceed next. The concept of the Lodge was designed around a sense of community support from other survivors, with activities and team building to help regain confidence, strength and faith. Demonstrating that there is life after cancer.
Keeping those thoughts in mind…when Knotty Girl was first created, the team knew that the lodge was a long term plan; nothing that would be happening in the near future. However, it occurred to Diana, in late March, that she had been bringing friends and family to her home in the Smoky Mountains for years…maybe it wasn’t a lodge that we were ready for, but a Weekend Retreat was definitely a possibility. Using the same concept as the Lodge, the Knotty Girl team quickly began planning the Inaugural Knotty Girl Mountain Retreat for Breast Cancer Survivors set for Labor Day weekend 2016.
“For the Inaugural Retreat, we wanted the weekend to be completely cost free for our survivors. With the biggest expense of lodging covered, we felt as though fundraising for the remainder (activities, meals and travel) was something that could be accomplished in less than six months.” explained Diana. As the Knotty Girl Graphic Designer and Social Media Coordinator, I went to work applying for grants, sponsorships and donations.
The weekend was appropriately themed with the tagline, “Reconnect, Relax and Exhale” and was held in a quaint little town in the mountains of North Carolina where Diana recently purchased a second home to accommodate more family and friends. “For our first Retreat, we invited the leadership from the Orlando Warriors on Water. They were a perfect fit as they are a team of women who knew each other, have traveled together and would be comfortable sleeping in a “bunk house” setting.” Together, the houses could accommodate six survivors and four “staff” members. The survivors were all from the Orlando area (Jan Croud, Maribel DelGado, Justine Finocchiaro-Doles, Pattie Heavener, Stephanie Parks and Marsha Goss) and the “staff” included Diana, myself, Knotty Girl Photographer, Elena Rodriguez and Diana’s long time friend, Cindy Jenkins.
With fundraising coming along, we started planning events and activities for the weekend. “All of our activities helped to build team skills and comradery as well as to promote health and wellness. The mountains, water, fresh air and soothing environment left the survivors feeling refreshed and reconnected.” On the agenda was the downtown art walk (to meet with all the local mountain supporters), zip-lining, white water rafting, hiking and we finished up the weekend with a private reception at an antique market.
The 2016 Inaugural Knotty Girl Mountain Retreat was sponsored by: Walmart (of both Sebring, Florida, and Murphy, North Carolina), Albritton Insurance Services, Heartland Triathlon, Wildwater, Gadreau Construction, Alan Jay Automotive Network, Publix, dentist David E. Willey, Kristy’s Kreatives, Lowe’s of Murphy, Life Brokerage Financial Group, The Institute of Aesthetic Surgery of Orlando, Coffee News of Florida, A Jem’s Gem, The Daily Grind & Wine, Heartland Spring Water, Marketplace Antiques, Parson’s Pub, Pretzels & Prose, Rod Brown of Farley Insurance, Sassy’s Boutique, ShoeBooties Cafe, Serenity Mountain Gift Shop, Valley River Brewery, Whisker Wear and White Wolf Kayaking.
“When you have a name like ours, you have to be quick to follow-up an explanation after “Hi! This is Kristy with Knotty Girl.” But once she shared our mission and story she had their attention!” explained Diana when describing my journey to finding financial supporters for the Retreat. “We are completely overwhelmed with the support the Inaugural Retreat received. We have always been supported by our local friends and family…but with the Retreat, everyone went above and beyond!” continued Diana. The team agrees with the old saying, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Because we know first hand that it also takes a village to raise a non-profit.
Once the team returned from the Retreat it was as though a fire was burning in the hearts of those who attended and supported the Retreat! “Our press release was in three different news papers (News-Sun, Highlands Today and Highlands Sun as well as in the Breast Cancer Awareness special section of the News-Sun) about six different times! Weekly, friends and family were calling and texting to let us know they were looking at us in the paper! We couldn’t believe the media coverage!” gushed Knotty Girl Photographer, Elena whose photographs captured the emotions of the Retreat perfectly.
With all the positive vibes towards Knotty Girl and her team, we quickly had a group of 12 ladies that volunteered to travel three weeks later back to the mountains with us to attend the 10th Annual Raft & Zip for the Cure hosted by Wildwater Ocoee in Ducktown, TN honoring breast cancer survivors and supporters. Pat Miller, Mary (Basso) McCormick, Cindy Adams, Elle Dewyngaert, Gloria Coffey, Rose Marie Tippins, Kim Mawhinney, Kathy Day and Lynda Hahn joined the Knotty Team (Diana, Elena and myself) are all from the Highlands and Hardee county areas and were some of the first to know and support Knotty Girl and her mission. “What a great experience! Great trip and great group of women!! Knotty Girl and her mission was represented well at Raft & Zip for the Cure and throughout the weekend! I am very honored to have been part of Knotty Girl’s journey since the very beginning!” said Knotty Girl bookkeeper, Mary McCormick, when reminiscing about the weekend.
“As a breast cancer survivor of almost 15 years, I couldn’t imagine having a better team of ladies by my side! They were my biggest cheerleaders and inspiration during, before and after having cancer. Collectively we raised a $500 donation to have a team at the event. It was honor to share this experience with them…lifelong memories were made in the mountains!” said Diana with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes. “It’s been hard to put into words how I have felt this past year with the support we have received. And for me to keep quiet, you know it’s a big deal! I am blessed beyond words to feel so much love from this community!”
Three weeks after returning home from the Raft & Zip for the Cure trip, the Knotty Girl team partnered with the Highlands Art League to offer a VIP Art Uncorked fundraiser at The Garden Café at McLane’s Country Garden. “With Kristy being a teacher at the Art League and her role with Knotty Girl, it was a nice fit for these two non-profits to team up and help each other!” Keeping with the VIP status of the fundraiser we wanted to offer a unique painting experience, so we looked to our “village” and worked with Maggie and Nick Hucke at D&N Cabinetry who donated custom cabinet doors for us to paint, versus painting on a canvas like most Art Uncorked classes. “Everything we do with Knotty Girl is first class and this event was nothing less. From the venue to the cabinet doors, everything was perfect!” said Diana.
Even with planning these major events, the Knotty Girl team still found time to have a team of 20 volunteers at the Heartland Triathlon with bright pink shirts on (sponsored by Willey Dentistry, Gentle Foot Care, Kristy’s Kreatives, Souther Signs, HerosAndAngles.org, Highlands Little Theatre, Peg’s Alterations, Right Care Right Time and Skin Care by Elle) and set up a showcase monthly at the women’s networking club Lunch Club Wednesday…not to mention all while having full time jobs! Diana has had her own successful insurance business (Albritton’s Insurance Services) for more than 10 years, I left corporate America three years ago to start my own freelance graphic design business (Kristy’s Kreatives), Elena is working on her master’s degree and works at SFSC in financial aid (she is also starting her own photography business, Rodtography) and Mary (Basso) McCormick who is our bookkeeper, is your favorite Coffee News Lady!
What’s next for Knotty Girl? “The Retreat hit a big goal I had set for Knotty Girl at the beginning and to have it be years earlier than expected was very humbling. I couldn’t do this without my team and my community. I am very blessed and honored to be surrounded by such strong, gifted, giving and smart individuals to help me grow not only myself, but my business and Knotty Girl.” replied Diana. “I guess to answer your question would be to continue offering the retreat annually, to continue encouraging and inspiring our Warriors though our social media posts and events that we attend. The more support we have, emotionally, spiritually and financially…the more lives we can save and enrich. Going back to my Sebring roots and racing, Knotty Girl is racing to educate and save lives! As long as we can keep sharing her mission, we are doing what I set out to do.”
To keep up with the adventures of Knotty Girl and her team, please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. You can also visit our website at www.knottygirl.org for more information about Knotty Girl’s mission as well as quick links for easy shopping on AmazonSmile, Bravelets, our eStore and Whisker Wear. Be sure to check out photos from our events in the Photo Gallery, the Knotty Girl custom fly rod (The Exhale), survivor and supporter testimonials and you can also make donations using PayPal. 100% of the funds raised by Knotty Girl goes back into the community in the form of educational and marketing materials that support her mission to educate on the importance of monthly breast self-exams. If you are interested in becoming a corporate sponsor of the 2017 Knotty Girl Mountain Retreat, please contact us via email at [email protected]. Contributions to Knotty Girl Loves, Inc. may be tax-deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. Please check with your personal tax advisor regarding the deductibility of your gift. Knotty Girl Loves, Inc. is registered in Florida as a nonprofit corporation. Knotty Girl Loves, Inc., is a public charity exempt from federal income tax under Section 501-c(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
By: Kristy Harris
Photos by: Elena Rodriguez
This story has been written as a follow-up to the 2012 and 2015 Heartland Living stories on Diana Albritton and Knotty Girl.
With a non-profit name of, Knotty Girl Loves, Inc – “Knotty Girl” for short, you are sure to get a lot of attention! Over the course of 2016, that is exactly what has been happening! Knotty Girl was founded in 2013 by breast cancer survivor and Sebring resident, Diana Albritton. With her rope and knot body, Knotty Girl is a visual representation of what breast cancer can feel like…round and hard like a KNOT! Her mission is to educate on the importance of monthly breast self-exams. Along with your yearly mammogram, monthly breast self-exams help to familiarize yourself on how your body looks and feels so that you can alert your health care provider to any changes that you may notice between mammograms.
Every January, Diana and the Knotty Girl team meet to plan and timeline the first six months of the year (meeting again in June to plan the remainder of the year). For the 2016 January meeting, we chose to go to Winter Garden, Florida where Diana grew up and simultaneously hosted a Warrior Meet and Greet. Incidentally…Knotty Girl refers to our supporters as “Warriors,” Diana’s high school is the West Orange Warriors and she is on an all breast cancer survivor dragon boat paddling team called the Orlando Warriors on Water. This was a chance for all the Orlando area Warriors to meet the Knotty Girl team and each other. The weekend in Winter Garden concluded with a plan to focus on marketing Knotty Girl and fundraising.
One of the long-term goals for Knotty Girl, was to have a Lodge in the mountains where breast cancer survivors could come to relax and heal. After having breast cancer, many survivors are at a loss for how to proceed next. The concept of the Lodge was designed around a sense of community support from other survivors, with activities and team building to help regain confidence, strength and faith. Demonstrating that there is life after cancer.
Keeping those thoughts in mind…when Knotty Girl was first created, the team knew that the lodge was a long term plan; nothing that would be happening in the near future. However, it occurred to Diana, in late March, that she had been bringing friends and family to her home in the Smoky Mountains for years…maybe it wasn’t a lodge that we were ready for, but a Weekend Retreat was definitely a possibility. Using the same concept as the Lodge, the Knotty Girl team quickly began planning the Inaugural Knotty Girl Mountain Retreat for Breast Cancer Survivors set for Labor Day weekend 2016.
“For the Inaugural Retreat, we wanted the weekend to be completely cost free for our survivors. With the biggest expense of lodging covered, we felt as though fundraising for the remainder (activities, meals and travel) was something that could be accomplished in less than six months.” explained Diana. As the Knotty Girl Graphic Designer and Social Media Coordinator, I went to work applying for grants, sponsorships and donations.
The weekend was appropriately themed with the tagline, “Reconnect, Relax and Exhale” and was held in a quaint little town in the mountains of North Carolina where Diana recently purchased a second home to accommodate more family and friends. “For our first Retreat, we invited the leadership from the Orlando Warriors on Water. They were a perfect fit as they are a team of women who knew each other, have traveled together and would be comfortable sleeping in a “bunk house” setting.” Together, the houses could accommodate six survivors and four “staff” members. The survivors were all from the Orlando area (Jan Croud, Maribel DelGado, Justine Finocchiaro-Doles, Pattie Heavener, Stephanie Parks and Marsha Goss) and the “staff” included Diana, myself, Knotty Girl Photographer, Elena Rodriguez and Diana’s long time friend, Cindy Jenkins.
With fundraising coming along, we started planning events and activities for the weekend. “All of our activities helped to build team skills and comradery as well as to promote health and wellness. The mountains, water, fresh air and soothing environment left the survivors feeling refreshed and reconnected.” On the agenda was the downtown art walk (to meet with all the local mountain supporters), zip-lining, white water rafting, hiking and we finished up the weekend with a private reception at an antique market.
The 2016 Inaugural Knotty Girl Mountain Retreat was sponsored by: Walmart (of both Sebring, Florida, and Murphy, North Carolina), Albritton Insurance Services, Heartland Triathlon, Wildwater, Gadreau Construction, Alan Jay Automotive Network, Publix, dentist David E. Willey, Kristy’s Kreatives, Lowe’s of Murphy, Life Brokerage Financial Group, The Institute of Aesthetic Surgery of Orlando, Coffee News of Florida, A Jem’s Gem, The Daily Grind & Wine, Heartland Spring Water, Marketplace Antiques, Parson’s Pub, Pretzels & Prose, Rod Brown of Farley Insurance, Sassy’s Boutique, ShoeBooties Cafe, Serenity Mountain Gift Shop, Valley River Brewery, Whisker Wear and White Wolf Kayaking.
“When you have a name like ours, you have to be quick to follow-up an explanation after “Hi! This is Kristy with Knotty Girl.” But once she shared our mission and story she had their attention!” explained Diana when describing my journey to finding financial supporters for the Retreat. “We are completely overwhelmed with the support the Inaugural Retreat received. We have always been supported by our local friends and family…but with the Retreat, everyone went above and beyond!” continued Diana. The team agrees with the old saying, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Because we know first hand that it also takes a village to raise a non-profit.
Once the team returned from the Retreat it was as though a fire was burning in the hearts of those who attended and supported the Retreat! “Our press release was in three different news papers (News-Sun, Highlands Today and Highlands Sun as well as in the Breast Cancer Awareness special section of the News-Sun) about six different times! Weekly, friends and family were calling and texting to let us know they were looking at us in the paper! We couldn’t believe the media coverage!” gushed Knotty Girl Photographer, Elena whose photographs captured the emotions of the Retreat perfectly.
With all the positive vibes towards Knotty Girl and her team, we quickly had a group of 12 ladies that volunteered to travel three weeks later back to the mountains with us to attend the 10th Annual Raft & Zip for the Cure hosted by Wildwater Ocoee in Ducktown, TN honoring breast cancer survivors and supporters. Pat Miller, Mary (Basso) McCormick, Cindy Adams, Elle Dewyngaert, Gloria Coffey, Rose Marie Tippins, Kim Mawhinney, Kathy Day and Lynda Hahn joined the Knotty Team (Diana, Elena and myself) are all from the Highlands and Hardee county areas and were some of the first to know and support Knotty Girl and her mission. “What a great experience! Great trip and great group of women!! Knotty Girl and her mission was represented well at Raft & Zip for the Cure and throughout the weekend! I am very honored to have been part of Knotty Girl’s journey since the very beginning!” said Knotty Girl bookkeeper, Mary McCormick, when reminiscing about the weekend.
“As a breast cancer survivor of almost 15 years, I couldn’t imagine having a better team of ladies by my side! They were my biggest cheerleaders and inspiration during, before and after having cancer. Collectively we raised a $500 donation to have a team at the event. It was honor to share this experience with them…lifelong memories were made in the mountains!” said Diana with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes. “It’s been hard to put into words how I have felt this past year with the support we have received. And for me to keep quiet, you know it’s a big deal! I am blessed beyond words to feel so much love from this community!”
Three weeks after returning home from the Raft & Zip for the Cure trip, the Knotty Girl team partnered with the Highlands Art League to offer a VIP Art Uncorked fundraiser at The Garden Café at McLane’s Country Garden. “With Kristy being a teacher at the Art League and her role with Knotty Girl, it was a nice fit for these two non-profits to team up and help each other!” Keeping with the VIP status of the fundraiser we wanted to offer a unique painting experience, so we looked to our “village” and worked with Maggie and Nick Hucke at D&N Cabinetry who donated custom cabinet doors for us to paint, versus painting on a canvas like most Art Uncorked classes. “Everything we do with Knotty Girl is first class and this event was nothing less. From the venue to the cabinet doors, everything was perfect!” said Diana.
Even with planning these major events, the Knotty Girl team still found time to have a team of 20 volunteers at the Heartland Triathlon with bright pink shirts on (sponsored by Willey Dentistry, Gentle Foot Care, Kristy’s Kreatives, Souther Signs, HerosAndAngles.org, Highlands Little Theatre, Peg’s Alterations, Right Care Right Time and Skin Care by Elle) and set up a showcase monthly at the women’s networking club Lunch Club Wednesday…not to mention all while having full time jobs! Diana has had her own successful insurance business (Albritton’s Insurance Services) for more than 10 years, I left corporate America three years ago to start my own freelance graphic design business (Kristy’s Kreatives), Elena is working on her master’s degree and works at SFSC in financial aid (she is also starting her own photography business, Rodtography) and Mary (Basso) McCormick who is our bookkeeper, is your favorite Coffee News Lady!
What’s next for Knotty Girl? “The Retreat hit a big goal I had set for Knotty Girl at the beginning and to have it be years earlier than expected was very humbling. I couldn’t do this without my team and my community. I am very blessed and honored to be surrounded by such strong, gifted, giving and smart individuals to help me grow not only myself, but my business and Knotty Girl.” replied Diana. “I guess to answer your question would be to continue offering the retreat annually, to continue encouraging and inspiring our Warriors though our social media posts and events that we attend. The more support we have, emotionally, spiritually and financially…the more lives we can save and enrich. Going back to my Sebring roots and racing, Knotty Girl is racing to educate and save lives! As long as we can keep sharing her mission, we are doing what I set out to do.”
To keep up with the adventures of Knotty Girl and her team, please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. You can also visit our website at www.knottygirl.org for more information about Knotty Girl’s mission as well as quick links for easy shopping on AmazonSmile, Bravelets, our eStore and Whisker Wear. Be sure to check out photos from our events in the Photo Gallery, the Knotty Girl custom fly rod (The Exhale), survivor and supporter testimonials and you can also make donations using PayPal. 100% of the funds raised by Knotty Girl goes back into the community in the form of educational and marketing materials that support her mission to educate on the importance of monthly breast self-exams. If you are interested in becoming a corporate sponsor of the 2017 Knotty Girl Mountain Retreat, please contact us via email at [email protected]. Contributions to Knotty Girl Loves, Inc. may be tax-deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. Please check with your personal tax advisor regarding the deductibility of your gift. Knotty Girl Loves, Inc. is registered in Florida as a nonprofit corporation. Knotty Girl Loves, Inc., is a public charity exempt from federal income tax under Section 501-c(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.