TEMPLE, Texas — The Central Texas ‘Bra Brunch’ has been going strong for 11 years, and this year marked a $50,000 fundraising haul on Oct. 10 that all stays local! That’s a huge improvement from its humble beginnings of $8,000 more than a decade ago.
6 News anchor Kris Radcliffe has personally contributed to quite a few of these bra brunches, so this year, after such a successful day, he spoke to some of the other volunteers and models who don't mind opening themselves up to a little lighthearted fun to find out why they do it!
"It was overwhelmingly awesome!" Joey Smith, a model at the event, told 6 News.
"Know that the good lord is in charge of this and we're going to do everything that we can to get rid of this horrible disease," said Guy Fowler, another bra brunch model.
From giving the invocation to giving the crowds flashbacks of Madonna, Fowler is one of the 15 to 20 models every year who put on a themed bra, all for a great cause, raising money for the American Cancer Society.
"Well, 12 years ago I looked fairly decent in a bra, now they're there because they feel sorry for me," said Fowler.
Despite the laugh, the crowd looked like they had fun.
This year’s theme was '80s Rockin' Bras!’. In the past, the organization has come up with clever themes like "Bra Wars", a play on "Star Wars", and the "Wizard of Oz" themed, "Lions, Tigers and Bras, Oh My".
So how do the themes come about?
"We sit around after having a glass of wine, and we start talking and we ask 'What would be the best?' So, one will come up and we say 'You know, that's it!' We just know that's going to be it this year," said committee member Karen Haley-Dungan.
So why do these guys do it? You may notice a theme.
"When I was a younger man I was traveling sales in southeast Texas and I got a phone call from my mom and she told me she had breast cancer," said Smith, "And you know I just pulled over to the side of the road and your mind takes you wherever it's going to go."
Others had similar stories.
"My mother passed away with lung cancer about 16 years ago so just the word cancer alone is just, it puts fear in your heart,” model Ike Shaw told 6 News.
"Actually, last year we had someone on our team, her sister actually passed from cancer and her other sister was diagnosed, she's now in remission, with breast cancer," said Artis Alexander.
"This horrible disease affects every one of us just like the other people have said, and it's just our way of getting out there," Fowler said. "I mean how do you fight a dreadful disease like this? Research! How do you get research? Funding! How do you get funding? Places just like this!”
Haley-Dungan, a cancer survivor herself, says she has no intentions of slowing down.
"You know, if you've got to have survivor's guilt, and if that's how you're going to fill that guilt by helping guys wear bras and having fun and having a party for two hours, I’m there!" Haley-Dungan said.
"We do try to keep it classy, but at the same time, we have a lot of fun because, in the end, the whole point of this is to raise money for breast cancer research," said Brook Fowler, Guy Fowler's daughter, who has been involved for 10 of the last 11 years.
In his ‘Rookie Year,’ Smith won ‘Fan Favorite’ this October as Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose. He said he was just as surprised as everyone about the win.
"I had no idea that I would end up being fan favorite," Smith said, "A lot of pressure now though."
Guy Fowler said he is already looking forward to next year.
"I don't know what kind of bra I’m wearing next year," said Fowler. "I’m sure Brook and Cindy (His wife) do, but I’ll be there so I just need the ladies to show up with a lot of money!"
"We always try to do it on the first or second Tuesday in October for Breast Cancer Month," Brook Fowler said, "And it's just always been a brunch... It's the bra brunch!"
6 News Anchor Kris Radcliffe says he’s also very proud to be associated with this fundraiser each year. His mother fought breast cancer for 13 years before she died.
Kris said he might have made for a crazy-looking Freddie Mercury, but he sure had a lot of fun.
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