Woman starts business to help others raise money

South Tampa, Florida – Raising money for the 3-day breast cancer walk can be tougher than the actual training.

So a South Tampa woman came up with an idea to help others across the country raise their $2,200.

Karen Conroy started a business called Fundraisingforacause.com. You buy items in bulk from her site and then turn around and sell them. Karen says her site provides all of the breakdown and how much you should sell items for. She says, “You sell the item for more money and what’s left over is the money you raise for your cause.”

Karen sells everything from bracelets, bears, hats, dog shirts and even pins.

And while Karen is doing this to help others, she really started this for her sister.

Last year her sister Kathy found a lump. Kathy Johnston says, “I never do self exams, I am lumpy bumpy anyway so I thought it was a waste of time.” But she did do a self exam and found something and after a few doctor’s visits a biopsy detected she had breast cancer. Kathy told us, “I dragged my feet about going to the biopsy. It was Christmas time and I had so many things to do but I didn’t want to stretch into the New Year.”She says three days before she was leaving for her trip her doctor told her she had cancer.

That’s when Karen knew she had to do something. Now her house and her life consist of this business and helping others. Kathy walked in last year’s 3-day breast cancer walk and plan to do it again this year. And she hopes others will be less stressed when it comes to raising the money.

Meanwhile, her sister Kathy just finished her radiation treatments and says she is in the home stretch.