On October 20, 2018, the sky above Arizona became home to an array of lavender balloons. Just moments prior, the balloons had been in the hands of more than 200 people who shared one common goal: to stop cancer, release fears and prepare for the next journey. This was a celebration of a year of hard work.

For four years, Love Out Lavender has united creative people through annual fundraising campaigns with inspiring images and events. Todd Kane, a Matrix Artistic Educator, started the organization after his mother received a cancer diagnosis. She reminded him that love conquers all. Kane took this to heart and set out to prove that creativity can help defeat cancer. The nonprofit works with beauty professionals to create inspiring photos that are then used to generate donations toward finding a cure. Artists from across the country are encouraged to choose a theme and create a hair, makeup and fashion look that represent a different cancer awareness ribbon—such as pink for breast cancer or gold for childhood cancer. From there, artists or teams can create their own fundraising pages to promote awareness and ask for donations. The top five fundraisers’ images are then featured here.

Since 2015, Love Out Lavender has increased its number of fundraisers from 15 to 60. Sponsorships have also grown, with Matrix and Joico having teams, as well as partnering with the Salon Boutique franchise in Arizona and beauty and art schools in the Phoenix Metro. The final fundraising event was Celebrate the Passion, an evening that featured a choreographed show depicting the transforming effect that beauty has on those affected by cancer.

“When we come together to share our stories and put our hands and hearts into hair, makeup, wardrobe, photography and countless other aspects, we create magic that moves us closer to a cancer-free world,” Kane says. “Moving forward, we want every manufacturer to sponsor a team and match funds to encourage their artists to get involved.  No competition, no hassle, no restrictions—just put your hands and heart into it and be supported for your creativity and passion.”

Funds raised from the images combined with sponsorships and other efforts bring this year’s grand total raised for City of Hope to $35,000. Efforts for awareness and donations are held throughout the year, but the creative image campaign runs from February 4, World Cancer Day, to the first Sunday in June, National Cancer Survivor’s Day. For more information visit loveoutlavender.org