Hydrangea of hope

Invincibelle Spirit hydrangea is not just a garden plant. It’s a symbol for hope to find a cure for breast cancer.

Since its introduction in 2009, $1 from every Invincibelle Spirit hydrangea sold has been donated to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). This pink Annabelle-type hydrangea was introduced by Proven Winners ColorChoice. Growers and retailers can be part of this plant with a cause.

Proven Winners ColorChoice performed diligent research to decide on donations to BCRF, said Stacey Hirvela at Proven Winners ColorChoice Shrubs. Hirvela manages the company’s social media and cause marketing group.

“When considering a charity to benefit, it is crucial to be sure you can stand behind everything they do. You don’t want to help publicize a charity that turns out to be crooked, leaving your customers feeling duped,” she said.

There were several major factors involved in choosing BCRF, she said.

“They are the only cancer charity to receive an A+ rating from the American Institute of Philanthropy. They are very forthcoming about how their donations are spent. They are highly effective, with over 90 cents of every dollar directly funding actual research, not abstract, difficult-to-quantify areas like ‘awareness.’ And it is easy to see your dollars in action, as they are excellent at highlighting the work their researchers do and publicizing the advancements they have made,” she said.

The company created a special, larger tag to showcase the connection to BCRF. “This really helps the plant to stand out in the garden center and gives us plenty of room to explain how much money is given, where it goes, and why — really important factors in cause marketing,” she said.

Proven Winners ColorChoice also started the Pink Days program, so independent garden centers could get involved in the cause. IGCs go all out for these events. This year, Meadows Farms Nurseries, with stores in Virginia and Maryland, raised more than $27,000 for BCRF.

And thanks to Invincibelle Spirit hydrangea donations and Pink Days, more than $250,000 was donated to BCRF this year, which means the Invincibelle Spirit/Pink Days will now fund an entire year of one researcher’s work toward a cure for breast cancer.

“We are beyond excited to share this news because it is such concrete evidence of the good being done,” Hirvela said. “Now we can go to home gardeners and to garden centers and say, ‘Look what you have funded.’”

The name of the researcher and the nature of the research work will be released in August, she said.

For more: Proven Winners ColorChoice, www.colorchoiceplants.com; www.invincibellespirit.net.