A fun and potentially record-setting addition to one of the Lowcountry’s most successful fundraisers has already led to much-needed help for one local charity.
Organizers of the fifth annual LoCo Motion 3-Day Breast Cancer Event recently launched a social media-focused campaign involving the event’s unofficial mascot, Fancy the Flamingo.
Fancy was bird-napped after last year’s LoCo Motion event. Now, a group of shockingly benevolent bandits (and survivors) are demanding a $50,000 ransom for Fancy, and that all the money be donated to pay for free mammograms.
To set Fancy free, LoCo Motion founder Laura Morgan launched the Flocks of Love campaign, asking 1,000 people to donate $50 apiece. Each donation pays for one mammogram and each donor will sponsor one plastic replica of Fancy.
“Fancy is our inspiration, and it’s an amazing win-win to get her back and be able to fund a mammogram,” Morgan said. “The reception has been amazing and we wanted to show her captors that the ransom money is going into the community immediately.”
Morgan received a call from officials from Volunteers in Medicine, a Hilton Head-based nonprofit comprised of health care staffers providing free health care to those in need around the Lowcountry.
VIM had not received its regular funding from one of their national supporters and was struggling to provide breast care to patients. The organization wanted to make sure LoCo Motion would still be donating after this year’s event, to be held Sept. 22-25.
Morgan and LoCo Motion supporters did one better. Thanks to Flocks of Love supporters, VIM received a $9,000 check from LoCo Motion.
“This is a local movement that benefits local heroes that are helping survivors fight the breast cancer battle,” Morgan said. “There’s no reason to hold funding until after the event. If we can help people and save lives now, that’s what we’re going to do.”
Morgan and LoCo Motion volunteers are hoping this is just the first of many donations that will be spawned from Flocks of Love.
To spur on potential donors, LoCo Motion plans on setting a Guinness World Record with its giant flock of 1,000 plastic pink flamingos.
“We need our local community to support LoCo Motion. The event is bringing 1,600 people from 46 states and nine countries. They spend money, they have a fabulous experience and they return with more people the following year,” Morgan said.
“Our event also donates over $100,000 to local breast care programs,” she said. “So it is important that the local community understand LoCo’s impact and support us. You don’t have to lace up and get sweaty with us — just adopt one of our flamingos and be part of history!”
To join the Fancy flock, go online to www.dothemotion.org/donate. Morgan is available to comment further. Contact her at 843-540-3064 and/or laura@dothelocomotion.org.
