The LaLa Project: More Than a Pumpkin Patch
My husband David and I live on a small acreage just outside of Red Oak with our three kids Ty, Karly, and Malory. We are busy with everyday hustle and bustle of work and a family. When I find some free time, I love to be outside, enjoy yard work and gardening. In 2016 we expanded our garden knowledge and experimented by planting a few pumpkins mounds. The pumpkin vines turned into a little patch covering an area 20 feet wide by 100 feet long. We were so excited about the results, we knew we needed to do something that had an impact.
In late September, we picked around fifty pumpkins. We set up a little stand in our shed and advertised on Facebook that our children had a free will donation pumpkin stand with all donations used for cancer care packages. The kids took turns holding a sign, loading the pumpkins, and telling people what the donations were going to. I told a little bit of their story on Facebook and the community responded with an overwhelming support of kind words and donations to our newly found The LaLa Project Inc.
November 9th of that fall also marked the 20th anniversary of my mom’s passing. Linda Lally (aka LaLa) passed from a long battle of colon cancer. I very much remember my mom’s tears, her frustration, the fatigue, and the sickness. We celebrate her life every November by preparing care packages for patients at the Red Oak oncology department. The LaLa Project is an extended family effort in keeping her spirit alive, and we hope that the small packages we provide bring someone a little comfort on a day they need it most.
Each year, we get a little bigger and grow more passionate about our purpose. Youth groups, individuals, and businesses have been so supportive and helpful with making blankets, lotions, picking and cleaning pumpkins, and, of course, monetary donations. With the help of social media our story has reached people across the county. We have received donations from all across Iowa, Colorado, Missouri, and as far as North Carolina.
We don’t consider ourselves entrepreneurs, we are not a business. We are just a family growing pumpkins in hopes to benefit cancer patients and to honor and celebrate “LaLa.”
Find out more about the rural revival happening in Red Oak, Iowa here:
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